Experienced sellers on online
auctions have many strategies for listing and selling items. What works
for one type of merchandise may not work for another. But the bottom line
is to sell an item you must get the potential bidders to view your
item. If they don't see your item, they won't bid on it.
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Write your item's title carefully! Get as much
information as possible in the title field and be precise. Use common descriptive
words and phrases like "MIB" (Mint in Box). Include a date or a decade
if you have one for the item. Capital letters may help get buyers' attention,
and as always, check your spelling.
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Learn as much as you can about your item and
it's category.
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Write your item's description carefully! Get
all the keywords in the description that you can. Many buyers use the search
feature that checks both item title and description. Include any information
you have on the item, including any flaws the item might have. Include
measurements, dates, copyrights, all the details you can find out about
the item.
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Reasonably price it. Do research on the item.
Look for similar items and check out their prices. Set a reserve only if
you need to get a certain price because some bidders will avoid reserve
price auctions.
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Find a good time to end your auction You want
to time the ending of your auction during prime time Eastern time, that's
when the most people will be online bidding. If your auction ends when
it's 3 a.m. on the East Coast, that eliminates many potential last minute
bidders who are sleeping instead of sitting in front of the computer having
a bidding war over your item.
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Always include a photo of the item and make
sure it is clear and shows all the details, regardless if they are good
or bad. No one likes to buy things they can't see.
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Don't add extra graphics to your page like
overused animated gifs and backgrounds. Make it simple so it loads quickly.
Bidders will only wait a few seconds before moving on.
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Choose the right category for the item. If
the item isn't attracting any attention, you may want to change its category.
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Include information about the shipping costs and
the payment terms you will accept.
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Communicate with the high bidder as soon as possible
and let them know when the item has been shipped.
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Pack the item as securely as possible.
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Offer a guarantee.
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