Strategies for Effective Marketing

October 10th, 2007 | admin | Strategies for Effective Marketing

5 Simple Steps to Create Your First eBay Auction!

If you’ve ever read an article about eBay, you will have
seen the kinds of incomes people make - it isn’t unusual to
hear of people making thousands of dollars per month on
eBay.

Next time you’re on eBay, take a look at how many
PowerSellers there are. Every single one of them must be
making at least $1,000 per month as that’s eBay’s
requirement for becoming a PowerSeller.

Silver PowerSellers make at least $3,000 each month, while
Gold PowerSellers make more than $10,000, and the Platinum
level is $25,000.

The top ranking is Titanium PowerSeller, and to qualify
you must make at least $150,000 in sales every month!

It’s surprisingly simple to get started posting your very
first auction on eBay. Here’s what you need to do.

Step 1: Open an eBay seller’s account.

If you’ve bought things on eBay, then you already have an
account - just log in with it and click ‘Sell’ in the
toolbar at the top of the page, then click ‘Create a
seller’s account’.

If you’ve never used eBay before, then you’ll need to open
an account first using the ‘register’ link underneath the
toolbar, and then click ‘Sell’ and ‘Create a seller’s
account’.

The eBay site will then guide you through the process. For
security, this may involve giving card details and bank
information.

Step 2: Decide what to sell.

For your first little experiment with eBay, it doesn’t
really matter what you sell. Take a look around the room
you’re in - I’m sure there’s something in there that you’re
not all that attached to and could put in the post. Small
books and CDs are ideal first items.

Step 3: Submit your item.

Click ‘Sell’ and you’re on your way to listing your item.

The first thing you need to do is choose a category - it’s
best to just type in what the item is and let eBay choose
for you.

Next, write a title and description. Include key words you
think people will search for in the title box and all the
information you have about the item in the description box.

Now set a starting price - $0.01 is the best starting
price, as it draws people in to bid who otherwise wouldn’t,
and items will almost never finish at such a low price.

The next thing to set is the duration of the auction: 3,
5, 7 or 10 days. This is up to you: longer sales will
usually get more bids, but will also seem to drag on
forever. If you’ve taken a picture (preferred), add it now -
items with pictures always sell for more.

Finally, tick the payment methods you will accept (just
PayPal is best for now) and where you will post to (limit
yourself to your own country to begin with). Submit and
you’re done!

Step 4: Wait for it to sell.

This is just a matter of sitting back and letting eBay do
its thing - buyers will find your item and leave bids on
it. Some bidders might email you with questions about the
item, and you should do your best to answer these questions
as quickly as you can.

Remember that if your item doesn’t sell then you can list
it again for free.

Step 5: Collect payment and post it.

eBay will send your buyer emails guiding them through the
process of sending you payment for the item. Make sure you
have the money before you send anything.

Once you’ve received payment, all you need to do is pack
the item for posting (make sure to use some bubble wrap),
take the buyer’s address from the confirmation email eBay
sent you, and write it on the parcel. Put some stamps on,
post it, and you’re done!