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Selling on eBay

I am interested in tips from other eBay sellers.

I have recently started selling on eBay. Sadly, I am getting discouraged because I see my work is not getting much attention. I have sold items so I know the basics such as: choosing a good title, good detail, good pictures, word choice, good shipping rates, offer a return etc.

The only major difference I notice between my ads and others is some of them have borders and what seems like a premade layout with business information (vs item info). I am working on doing these things.

I am a new seller so my numbers are small, but I have 100% good feedback (granted if you actually go to read them a lot are from other sellers I have purchased from in the past vs customers). I have reasonable shipping; I usually offer free shipping. I accept returns. My profile is completed and professional.

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Permalink Reply by Dannye D. Hester on November 29, 2011 at 4:04pm

Hello, you sell silk flowers, right? I currently have my invitations on Ebay. I haven't sold anything, just one sample, but I'm new to selling invitations online so I'm giving it some time. To me, the business layout looks more professional, but I remember when I ordered some silk flowers online, I was looking for a soft peach color, which it appeared to be on the screen, and the description said so, but when I received it, it was a bright coral color! What is your name on Ebay?

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Permalink Reply by Irina Dobrovolska on November 29, 2011 at 4:35pm

Selling on Ebay is quite difficult as there are many sellers and in some categories are more than 35,000 listings and buyers some times simply cannot reach your listing and this mean that you lose many-many buyers... unfortunately... :( And some buyer are not really honest, sometimes - they can say that did not received item ans so on... But keep trying and believe in it - everything can happen. :)

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Permalink Reply by Hillendahl Photography on December 1, 2011 at 7:26pm

mrshillendahl is my eBay name.

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Permalink Reply by Hillendahl Photography on December 4, 2011 at 12:57pm

A few things I have learned through research and do apply are the following:

Have a well taken and well lit picture of your item. (I purchased a better camera, photobox, lights on tripods to obtain this.) Also, keep the background of your picture clutter free. (The photobox becomes the side and back drops, also for the bigger items I have a table cleared off with nothing but a solid color tablecloth). More pictures are better. (I always have a minimum of 2 pics)
Choose a title that will help potential buyers find you. Use keywords and try not to make a confusing title.
Choose a good category to be placed in. (I check where similar items are placed)
Choose an appropriate price. (I check similar items for comparison)
Have a clear description. Don't say negative things about your item, but still disclose any flaws it has. Use keywords.

Although, I have seen little progress. Networking has helped me in the sense that I can post the link and get more potential viewers. Despite getting more viewers however, it has no actually helped my sales. In fact, with all those things in place on my latest eBay listing, it did not sell. I had 50 views and a watcher, yet it remains and will have to be re-listed.

Creating credibility and feedback will obviously make a difference. (and I am working on it)

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Permalink Reply by Hillendahl Photography on January 24, 2012 at 10:55am

I feel etsy is more for hobbyists rather than official businesses. In addition to that I do agree many eBay people are trying to get the best deal. Thankfully, although not the cheapest, I am actually one of the affordable choices still. I have learned some more on eBay; however, I am finding that since I work a lot off of orders it isn't as necessary as I was making it. I am adding an eccomerce section to my website, which in my case will actually work fine.