How to Increase Bidder Traffic to Your Ebay Auctions

So you've decided to try your hand at selling on Ebay, thinking you could easily make the kind of money you've been hearing other people talking about. The problem is you've been doing it for weeks, or even months, and nothing seems to be working right. Are you committing an online faux pas without realizing it? Here are some common problems that may not seem like problems at first, but can be the reason behind your business not taking off:

First, is your starting bid/price too high? Ebay is still largely considered an auction site, a place where people go to get a deal. If you have a widget that sells offline for $25, starting the bidding price at $23 isn't going to get a lot of people interested-they'll just go to a competing auction whose starting bid is lower. Try starting the bidding low, around $1, or even lower if your item isn't worth a lot. This way you have a better chance of getting more traffic (and, more importantly, bids.) Ever see those laptops that start at a dollar and end up significantly higher? The chances are good that, by setting the starting price low, you'll generate more excitement and bids that will in turn drive the price up to where you wanted it anyway.

Are your shipping charges too high? There are some Ebay sellers who try to compensate for low or decreased profits by driving up the shipping cost. Not all bidders are thorough when reading through an auction and may be surprised when you hit them with an outrageous shipping cost. Those that do see it beforehand simply won't bid and go to a similar seller with more reasonable charges. There are ways to pass the expenses of doing business on Ebay to the consumer (i.e. packing material), but increasing the shipping fee only to cushion your profit won't earn you a good name among the community.

Are your pictures of poor quality? Do you even have pictures? The truth is that it's difficult at best to sell an item your customers can't see for themselves. Without a picture (or two) in your auction, the winning bid will most likely be lower than if you had included one, and you might not even find a bidder willing to risk their money. Good quality photos these days are essential for your business to be successful, and have a tremendous impact on your winning bid. If your photos are fuzzy, dark or otherwise obscured, it has the same effect of not having any photos on your auction since the bidder still can't see what they're bidding on, so make sure your camera (preferably digital) is in good working condition. While you're at it, take the time to ensure the background for your widgets is also pleasing to the eye. Remember, especially in an online medium, presentation is everything.

Are you selling via Reserve Price Auctions? While reserve auctions offer sellers a sense of well-being because they can refuse to sell at a price below the reserve, most bidders hate these auctions with a passion. What's the point in bidding if they don't know whether or not their bid is going to be anywhere near the reserve price? They don't want to waste their time bidding on an auction where they don't know the lowest acceptable price. Especially if your item isn't unique, you may want to consider going with regular no-reserve auctions; if other sellers are using regular auctions to sell the same widget, your reserve price auction won't stand a chance.

Do you refuse to accept Paypal? I myself was guilty of this when I first sold items on Ebay, but the fact is buyers will overlook your auctions if you don't accept Paypal. It's become safer in recent years to do this, as PayPal has worked hard to ensure that both buyers and sellers are pleased. Their protection program covers up t a thousand dollars for buyers, making them feel safer to buy from you, and although PayPal charges a fee for transactions with a Merchant account, the inconvenience is well remunerated by the increase in bidder traffic (and higher bids) you'll undoubtedly enjoy as a result.

Did something happen to cause your feedback rating to drop? Simply put, your feedback rating is a major deciding factor potential buyers utilize to ascertain if your business is trustworthy. A feedback rating of less than 95% is a red flag for most bidders. If you have no feedback because you're new, try being a buyer first to gain a few positive feedbacks; this will help you develop a solid feedback history and allow others to trust you more when you start selling.

Finally, do your auction terms read like a death warrant? Any terms that can be considered very, well, cruel or unusual, are a guarantee that potential bidders will flee in terror from your auction. It's good to be clear about your expectations and terms in the body of your auction, but any terms that can be deemed unreasonable under any circumstances should be omitted. Bidders like the laid-back appeal of dealing with individuals on Ebay, and placing limitations on them that seem abnormal or bizarre will make them think twice about doing business with you. The easier you are to approach and the clearer your terms are (without sounding like a ransom demand), the more action you'll see with your auctions.