Welcome to Bid It Adieu's Blog:

So you want to be an eBay PowerSeller?

I started selling on eBay almost five years ago - just to get rid of items left over from a neighborhood garage sale. Within 9 months I was a PowerSeller and after two years I was selling on eBay full time!  My auctions consistently bring more money than auctions for similar items. And this is what works for me...

Dig through the eBay archives to find successful auctions of similar items.  Terapeak is a wonderful tool that actually does the research for you and can provide a competitive insight for eBay.

Hammertap is another tool for sellers who run their business on eBay. It helps you discover what products sell and how to make more sales more often. Hammertap even offers a Free 10-Day Trial and a 90 Day money back guarantee.

Low starting bids cost less to list and they encourage participation and competitive bidding. This is especially true if your research shows that you are listing a popular item.  If however, you are expecting very few bids, you should start the auction close to or at your minimum desired sale point.  Don't use a reserve price as this only drives away potential bidders - most bidders are more receptive when they see you have set a fair, realistic starting price.

On the items for which you would like to maximize your profit, time the listings to end on Monday evenings between 8:30 and 10:30 Eastern Standard Time (5:30 and 7:30 Pacific Time).

You can use 7-day listings beginning and ending Monday evening, 5-day listings, beginning Wednesday evening and ending Monday evening; or 3-day listings, beginning Friday evening and again, ending Monday evening.

I never end a listing on a Friday or Saturday, and most often not on Sundays either. Be very aware of the holidays, sporting events and seasons when you consider the end of your auction... will bidders be at home, waiting for your auction to end, or will they be at Mom's house celebrating Mother's Day; have the guys over for Monday night football; or be out to a company Christmas Party?

Prepare your listings in advance, scheduling them to start according to your preferences as determined in Step 3.  If you utilize eBay to create your listing, a 10¢ fee will be assessed. 

However, there are some auction management services that let you create eBay auction listings from within your web browser - automating the listing process - and over time, especially if you are a PowerSeller, will save you a lot of money.  There are several available - and most offer a trial period, so try them out before you decide.  Making a final decision depends on which auction management tools are most important to you and determining which service provides those tools.

I've used eBay, GarageSale (for Mac OS X users), Auctiva and Vendio for creating my auction listings, but my favorite is Seller Sourcebook.  Seller Sourcebook offers a large library of professionally designed templates (2500+), auction tools and image hosting, and --- you can schedule your eBay listings at no additional cost. Check them out!

Research, examine and weigh your item.

Make sure you know what you have, and if it appears to be a vintage or antique collectible item, be certain that it is not a reproduction.  (Vintage reproductions are okay - but you must be clear in stating that is what you are offering.)

Be thorough and list not only the item's attributes, but its flaws as well. To some, certain flaws only add character, but it is important to note them nonetheless. Write as if there were no pictures.  Use keywords when describing the item. The Google Adwords Keyword Tool is a great source for keywords.  For example, maybe you want to list an old Pabst Blue Ribbon tray.  Just go to the Google Adwords Keyword Tool page and you will see a box where you can enter a keyword or phrase.  I would suggest keeping it simple --- type in "Pabst" (without the quote marks).  Two lists will be populated offering Keywords related to term(s) entered and Additional keywords to consider.  I would strongly suggest using the relevant "additional keywords to consider" in the listing title and/or description.  Accordingly, the relevant keyword ideas for Pabst (as pertains to this item) are PBR, beer, beers, lager, ale and brew.

An online or in-the-hand Thesauraus is another great tool as well.  While you and many others might call this a tray, there are those who would refer to it as a "platter".  Think outside of the box -- the individual who is searching for a platter may only happen upon your listing because all others only utilize the word "tray" in their description.

Finally, if you are selling an item constructed of a precious metal it is almost always a good idea to not only list the quality of the metal, but the weight of the item as well. A digital pocket scale works well and doesn't take up much room... it's also great to take with you when you're out Garage Sale-ing, looking for items to buy and re-sell.

Pictures, pictures, pictures. You cannot have too many, especially if condition is either a concern, or outstanding for a vintage piece.  A picture will show what you cannot always describe and will clearly convey the state of an item - and eBay now offers the gallery picture for FREE.

Again, you may wish to consider using an auction management service such as Seller Sourcebook, as you are able to insert as many pictures as you'd like - without any additional cost!  This feature alone can add up to quite a savings.

I almost always use eBay's shipping calculator for domestic shipping. I've found that this method provides the fairest shipping charge to each bidder... it doesn't make sense to me that a buyer in a neighboring city should have to pay the same shipping charge as a bidder in Southern California (I live in the Midwest). So I enter the package weight and dimensions and allow the eBay Shipping Calculator to do its job! And yes... the auction management services also provide a form for this data entry, which is then imported into eBay with the other listing information.

I also charge a handling fee. This small fee covers or defrays  the cost of any packaging materials and courier related costs incurred.  Be sure to keep this cost reasonable as eBay has a stringent policy regarding excessive charges.

You could charge for delivery confirmation,  but it gives YOU peace of mind.

As for Free Shipping - I usually determine the average high sales price for a similar item (price + shipping), then set my auction to start at or near (usually below) that combined total - offering free shipping.  Listings with free shipping or multi-item discounts will encourage buyers to purchase more items from you. Also, when buyers search for items, they can sort the results by price + shipping and your items will then rank higher.  If a buyer can save even $1 for the same item and you have good feedback with a proven track record, they will most likely purchase from you - appreciating the goodwill gesture.

You can protect your packages against loss or damage during shipping with insurance from the United States Postal Service (USPS), UPS or FedEx.

eBay's new policy will not allow you to offer insurance as an option - you must either elect to provide insurance --- or not.  If you wish to provide insurance, simply include that cost in the shipping/handling charge and indicate in the listing details that insurance is included.

As a rule of thumb, I prefer to insure domestic U.S. Postal packages that are valued at $50 or more.  I insure all packages that are shipped via U.S.P.S. First Class International mail and apply my "rule of thumb" for Priority Mail International packages.

UPS and FedEx automatically protect every shipment against loss or damage up to a value of $100.  With declared value, you can purchase protection up to $50,000.00 per package.

And... use a shipping label service (see Item 14. for details) and save time and money processing insured packages.  Some benefits of using a prepaid shipping service such as Endicia:

1. No insurance forms to fill out (SAVES TIME);

2. No waiting in line at the post office to have a USPS insurance form date stamped (SAVES MORE TIME); and

3. In most cases, Endicia Insurance is less expensive than USPS Insurance (SAVES MONEY).

A refund policy is mandatory in eBay - you must either elect to accept refunds or not.  My return policy is that no item may be returned unless it was misrepresented.  In that event, I would issue a full refund upon receipt of the returned item.  Buyers are purchasing your item in good faith, most often based upon your description, so I feel they are entitled to that refund if by chance the description is either lacking or inaccurate.

I don't offer a refund for buyer's remorse.

Be selective about who you allow to bid on your items. eBay allows you to refuse to accept bids from individuals with negative feedback, or those who haven't been paying for items won. Sure, you will turn away some legitimate bidders, but most often, those bidders will contact you with an explanation, asking that you allow them to bid. That decision is entirely up to you and your comfort level with that individual and/or their explanation.

eBay now allows you to comprise a list of Frequently Asked Questions, providing the answers and heading off routine inquiries.  However, you will still receive other questions about your items.  While some may seem stupid, answer them anyway. And be gracious. And if the question posed is regarding something you may have overlooked, or could benefit your description, post your response publicly.

Ship your items as soon as possible after you receive cleared payment. Be specific about your shipping services and let buyers know when you ship after receiving payment.

If possible, offer a shipping service that provides tracking numbers - this will on occasion save you some frustration and at the same time give the buyer a level of comfort if they are able to track a package's process.

There are many services available that allow you to print your shipping labels right from your desk.  I've been a customer of Endicia for a few years now.  They offer solutions for shippers at every level and also have a service plan for Mac users.

All you need is a computer, printer and internet connection and you too, can benefit from a shipping label service such as Endicia.

With Endicia, I can print complete, prepaid postage for any single-piece mail class offered by the US Postal Service on labels and envelopes customized with my logo and/or message.  These labels include address verification, discounted Delivery and Signature Confirmation, and low-cost parcel insurance. Your buyer will pay $1.75 to insure a $35 package, but you will only incur a charge of 70¢, netting you $1.05 for that transaction.  And I don't have to worry about angry buyers as the postage amounts are hidden using Stealth Indicia.

And... International Shipping is now a breeze! With Endicia's integrated shipping/customs forms using stealth postage, I receive a 5-8% discount on select postage rates. And, I don't have to figure out which complicated customs forms are required, let alone fill them out by hand. Endicia chooses the correct customs forms, pre-fills the information, and prints them in one integrated label with my postage. All I do is declare the contents. Review Endicia's service plans for yourself - I'm sure you'll find one that meets your needs.

My grandmother always told me that "It's easier to catch flies with honey than vinegar... "

So, if you want to become a PowerSeller, treat your fellow eBayers graciously.  Potential buyers are much more likely to respond positively and become repeat buyers when you treat them kindly. My motto is "I like to shop online, too!"

I wish you great success.

Kimberly