Read on to see if you are committing some of these errors and take care to avoid these mistakes. Improve the quality of your eBay business by looking at and correcting these errors on your site.

* Not spending enough time to get a good “Look and Feel” for your site

The first thing buyers see is your home page. If it is messy, badly designed or hard to navigate they are not going to stick around. You may have the best merchandise in the world, but it won’t do you much good if no one stays around to look at it.

* Listing your items in the wrong category

Most buyers search for items by category. Be sure to become familiar will all the possible categories. It helps to list your products in the smallest niche possible. Putting it into a general niche such as “toys” will get you listed, but will buyers ever find your item? The smaller the niche, the better chance you have of someone landing on your site.

* Not knowing what is “hot” and what customers are actually buying

Just because you collect butter molds or antique golf clubs doesn’t mean others are looking for the same item. Keep an eye on the best selling items and hot seller lists to keep up to date on the latest buying trends

* Listing only a few items at a time

You have a site. Why not use it to the fullest? If you are serious about wanting to build an auction business or even if you just want to make extra money, you have to give buyers a reason to bookmark and return to your site. If you only have 3 items for sale, why would someone pay you a return visit?

* Writing incomplete or bad descriptions

Descriptions are the lifeblood of your site. You must make the descriptions accurate and truthful, but that doesn’t mean they have to be dull and boring. Go to some of the sites of your competition and read how they jazz up their descriptions with positive action words. Take some free lessons on the ‘Net about copywriting and make your site sell. This is one of the major mistakes to avoid on ebay.

* Posting items with a high starting price or a reserve price

Like any other auction, people come to eBay looking for bargains. A sure way to scare buyers away from your site is to start the bidding too high. Start at a reasonable price or none at all, and you’ll find you get plenty of bids. Yes, there are times you will lose money on an item. That’s the risk of eBay. More often though, once buyers start bidding on an item, they get caught up in the action and you’ll find oftentimes the item will bring you more than you ever imagined.

* Shipping at your own convenience

Always remember, eBay is a business. You may consider it a hobby that you can do at your own pace, but buyers are waiting anxiously for their merchandise. Take your time in shipping and you will find your feedback dropping like a stone.

These are a few of the glaring mistakes to avoid on eBay. Look at your site and evaluate it through the eyes of your customers. Are you an eBay seller you would be happy dealing with?

If you are an eBay seller and would like to learn more about other mistakes to avoid on ebay, or perhaps learn advanced techniques and tips on how to become an eBay Powerseller, consider joining an eBay membership site. Receive mentoring from eBay Powersellers and certified eBay instructors. Bring your eBay business to the next level. The cost of joining an ebay membership site is generally less than a dinner at a restaurant and it may bring you more satisfaction.

Gloria Daniels is not an eBay Powerseller because she is not willing to put in the time required to reach that level. She does however enjoy selling on eBay as a hobby and has been known to oftentimes turn a tidy profit because of the techniques learned on an ebay membership site. Joining an eBay membership site is like signing up for a university course, but a lot cheaper. You may not be buying credits, but you’ll soon have credits in your bank account. Check out Become an eBay Powerseller for a free email course on secrets and techniques used by expert ebay entrepreneurs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gloria_Daniels

Because many people list auctions each and every day, eBay offers PowerSeller recognition to qualified sellers. In order to be selected, you must generate an average of $1,000.00 in sales for 3 consecutive months. This will get you listed as an entry level PowerSeller and, as revenue increases so will your membership.

There are wonderful opportunities for the casual seller but, for individuals who are looking to earn some serious cash, here are 10 tips to get you started.

1. Find a niche and stick with it. If you want to sell collectibles, sell only collectibles. Buyers will recognize you as a specialized seller and respect your presence as a knowledgeable expert.

2. Sell what you know. If you are an expert in jewelry, make it your business. When people ask questions about your merchandise, they will feel comfortable dealing with someone who is so well-educated about their products.

3. Be competitive. Auctions start as low as $0.01, but avoid this method unless you use a reserve or can afford to take the chance. To be competitive, you need to offer one of the best opening prices, reasonable shipping rates and provide a terrific description. You will also need to list your shipping and payment policies clearly.

4. Buy in quantity. If you are in a position to do so, buy in large quantities and enjoy the discounted cost for bulk buyers. By purchasing large quantities of one item, you can save big bucks and pass those savings onto your customers. When you list an auction, sell at a fixed price and offer all of the items under one listing fee. For example, if you have 30 rings that you want to sell for $9.99, select the Fixed Price listing option. When prompted, enter a quantity of 30 and a price of $9.99. With this one auction, you have the potential to sell all 30 rings and only pay one listing fee. If you are selling the right product, and the right price to match, this method will work wonders.

5. Offer customer incentives. If your budget allows it, send your buyers a 10% off coupon with every order. Print off some coupons on your computer and let your customers know that they can apply them to their next purchase. This will entice them to return to your auctions and, the more bids that everyone sees on your items, the more appealing your products become.

6. When shipping your items, pay close attention to the presentation. If you are selling jewelry, purchase gift boxes in bulk and place one piece of jewelry per box. Place the jewelry inside of a small jewelry ziploc before fitting it inside the gift box. Your customers will appreciate having their jewelry delivered in a brand new gift box and, if it’s a gift, it will be ready to present to the recipient.

7. Customer service is important. Answer questions promptly and always be courteous. Not every question will make sense, but be patient as new people sign up and try to adapt to online auctions. You may get questions about everything from how to bid and pay to questions about your product. Buyers will appreciate if you take the time to walk them through the process, especially if they are new. We all need a little help now and then.

8. As your business becomes more established, search for more wholesale and distributor companies to order from. The larger companies, which offer some of the lowest prices, also require a minimum order. This can be inconvenient when you’re just getting started and have a tight budget, but if you have the cash to spare - check out some of the large wholesalers and take advantage of their minimum orders. Dollar for dollar, they have some of the best deals for the lowest prices, but you have to agree to buy a fair amount from them.

9. Be creative. If you have an idea that nobody else has tried yet, go for it. If you like autographs, turn it into a business. Take the autographs and turn them into a quilt by having quilt squares signed, sewing them together and presenting a rare autographed quilt. You are limited only by your own imagination.

10. The last and final tip to boosting your eBay business into a PowerSeller status is to stay positive. It takes awhile to get there, but you can make it. Becoming a serious presence on such a large auction site will take a lot of hard work, dedication and customer service skills. You must have patience and you cannot give up. There will be other businesses competing against you at every turn. If you sell for $9.99, someone else may offer a similar product for $8.99. But, don’t worry - you will develop loyal customers and they will return to buy from you. A final thought - never tell anyone about your wholesale source. You may get questions asking you to disclose where you got the items, but don’t reply. These are likely other sellers trying to find out where you got the great deals.

Mark Kenny offers eBay related turnkey businesses at http://trading-web-solutions.com You can download his eBay Maximum Profits mini-course by sending a blank email to taebay@aweber.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Kenny

Look Around Your House

Start your search by looking around your room, living room and kitchen. Is there anything you wish to throw away? Instead of dumping them to the garbage truck, why not list them in auctions? Your junk might be someone else gem. But definitely, please do not start selling broken plates or spoilt radio. You get what I mean. I do not wish your buyer get a shock when they receive the item.

For a start, start looking around and see if you have any used DVDs, music cds, books etc. that you wish to discard.

Your Interest and Hobby

Very often when people ask me what they can sell in eBay auctions, I always ask this question before I answer them.

“What is your interest or hobby?”

I believe in selling things which you have interest in. A Manchester United football fan can start selling football jerseys, Manchester United merchandise. A music lover can start selling CDs. At the same time, if you are skilled in knitting, you can start selling woolen jackets.

There is absolutely no boundary at all. Start selling based on your interest, hobby or strength.

Shopping

Usually when I go shopping, I will try to sniff out good deals. I’m open to all kind of products as long as they are priced reasonably so that I can sell to interested parties.

Warehouse Sale

There is no reason why any eBay sellers should miss a warehouse sale. This is the chance to grab products at rock bottom price. Usually warehouse sale is limited to clothing.

At the end of the day, the most important thing to learn is there is no boundary to what you can sell in eBay. Start looking through your room, explore your interest, go shopping to kick start your home business in eBay!

http://blog.missylicious.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ming_Yang_Ter

The life blood of any auction listing, the fewer the views then the lower the bidding will be no matter how professional your listings look. The key to increasing the number of views is simply RESEARCH.

Take a look at what other popular sellers of your items are doing, what titles do they use? Do they list in different categories to you? What keywords do they use to trigger an emotional response (leading to a bid)? Do they use gallery options? Are they using extra images to illustrate points?

All simple factors but those that can make or break a bidding frenzy.

Add Value

Adding value doesn’t always mean physically doing something to the product, what you want to achieve here is a perceived added value when the potential bidder reads your description.

Structure your description well, where possible illustrate with images and try to write the listing in a leading way so that it encourages the potential bidder to read on and fall in love with your item.

If the item has additional uses then make sure you include it in the listing, don’t waffle be clear and concise but demonstrate where possible why the potential bidder must have your item.

Sellers that have invested some time into creating ‘added value’ listing tend to find that they attract more bids and therefore a better selling price.

Link

A fundamental part of your strategy to develop your ebay auction income (or other auction sites) is to develop bidders into purchasing more from you.

A vital part of any campaign is to ‘encourage’ the bidder to look at your other items for sale and where possible to add you into their favourite sellers list so that they revisit you time and time again.

If you are selling a supplementary item, or maybe a higher specified item then let the bidders know and highlight such things as combined postage to encourage them to look. Provide a breadcrumb trail that bidders can follow to your about me page, ebay provide a simple link that can be added so bidders can add you to their favourites so always include it.

Understandable

Nothing is more off putting to a potential bidder than a listing that is confusing, where possible use laymens terms because remember not everyone is a technical expert.

Clearly set out all Payment, Shipping and Timescales so that they can be easily understood and the total cost and expected lead times can be worked out immediately.

Ease

People are more than likely to place a bid on a listing when they feel at ease with the auction, when creating your listing it is important that you completely objective towards your description.

Be completely honest, if there are faults then list them and explain fully, this shows that you are not trying to mislead and will help prevent negative feedback (remember your auction income depends on future listings also).

Simple rule here is what would you want to know about the product if you were buying it? Then simply describe it as you would expect to have it described to you. Dont miss bits out as this will allow an opportunity to develop within the bidders psyche to convince themselves not to bid, remember not all potential bidders ask questions.

Please look upon your listings as an opportunity to establish a relationship that you NEED to nuture so that this customer is locked into you and which will, in turn, provide you with a lifetimes worth of custom. Do not think singular transactions, even if they end up as them, because your ebay auction income depends on valued customers to guarentee you success.

Mike - Webmaster and eBay Power Seller at Online Auction Trader

We offer free templates, information and product sourcing to enable you to develop your online auctions into a sustainable, long term income stream.

We also operate a Traders Forum where any advice can be sought on any aspect of Online Trading.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Ralph

Even if you write a detailed description of your item, product images are still essential.

Despite your past history as eBay seller and even if you have a very positive feedback score, people are always somewhat reluctant to buy online due to the lack of a personal contact with the seller.

And I couldn’t honestly say that this attitude is injustified because unfortunately eBay frauds do exist!

Images will help you demonstrate that you aren’t hiding anything with regards to the quality of the product you sell.

Depending by the nature of the item you sell, several pictures from different angles can be the optimal choice.

eBay sellers often offer slightly defective items at a greatly discounted price. If this happens to you and even if you have well documented the item conditions in your listing, try to include a detailed picture of the flaw. You will show to a potential buyer that you are completely honest about the nature of the item you sell.

Selling tutorials available on eBay site will give you some tips on the best way to take picture of your eBay items with a digital camera or a scanner. They are very basic advices, but still useful if you are completely inexperienced with digital photography.

- Optimize your images

Images have also some drawbacks. You should always try to find a good compromise between details and image size as biggest images can considerably slow down your eBay listing page and make you lose some bids. Buyers are impatient and not everyone has a fast Internet connection.

Usually digital cameras or scanners are sold with a photo retouching software that allows you to convert images in a file format suitable for the Web (JPEG) and reduce the file size by reducing image dimensions or the number of colors.

- No broken images please

Nothing will drive potential buyers away from your eBay listing page more quickly than a broken image.

When you create your listing you are allowed to load images from your hard disk and store it on eBay server. This is the safest choice because your images will be surely available when people visit your listing.

But you can also include externally hosted images by using the HTML img tag in your listing.

If you choose to do so, be sure to host your image files with a reliable service. If the host where your images reside becomes inaccessible for any reason, eBay users visiting your listing will see a broken image.

If you run your own website you can save the images in a directory on your hosting account. Be aware that some web hosting services don’t allow remote linking of images, i.e. using your host web space as a storage area for images you use on other sites, in this case eBay. This is usually true for free hosting services, so if you have a paid hosting account you should not have problems.

Alternatively you can utilize one of the many image hosting services. You can find many of these services with a simple search on Google. Usually every site offers clear instructions that will make the entire procedure really simple even for the most inexperienced users.

Whatever is the service you use to store images for your eBay auctions always preview the listing page to be sure that images are displayed correctly.

An image is worth a thousand words. This is true also when you sell on eBay. Make good use of images in your auction listings and you will always receive more bids.

Mike Paolieri helps managing Arakne Links Directory ( www.arakne-links.com ) a human edited web directory listing quality websites categorized by topic including shopping and auction sites. All site submissions are reviewed, a reciprocal link is not needed to get listed. www.arakne-links.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Paolieri