Increase Your Ebay Sales; Avoid These Common Ebay Seller Mistakes

Selling on Ebay is a great way to get in touch with potential buyers. You can sit in the comfort of your own home and create auction style or "buy it now" listings for the items you have to sell. There is very little stressed involved with selling on Ebay for the seller or buyer. But, as a seller you do want to encourage potential buyers to bid on your auction. Ebay offers several tools to enhance your listing to draw attention to your items. But, even with gallery images, bold lettering, or highlighting your listing may not receive as many bids as you would like if you fall prey to some of the common selling mistakes on Ebay. In the following I will go over some of the more common selling mistakes and how to avoid making them so that you can get the most out of your Ebay selling experiences.

It's all about the Search

Buyers look for the majority of items using Ebay's search feature. So, while you do want to make sure that your item is listed in the correct category, it is more important to give your listing an accurate and descriptive title so that it will show up in buyer searches. The most common mistake I have seen sellers make in their titles is not using the space allowed for a descriptive title. This is particularly noticeable when selling video games or movies. A lot of sellers will make the title of their listing merely the title of the game or movie. Since you have enough space you should also include what platform the game is for (xbox, ps2, pc) or whether the movie is full screen or widescreen. If you have enough room in your listing title you should also include the state of the item you are selling. If it is brand new then include the letters NWT which stand for "New With Tags" or if it used you can use the letters EUC for "Excellent Used Condition". If your listing has a descriptive and accurate title more potential buyers will click on it to learn more.

Spelling Counts

Because the majority of Buyers use the search feature in order to find your items, spelling is very important. Make sure that your listing title is spelled correctly. Misspellings in the item title can result in your listing not being displayed in as many searches. It is important to spell the item name and any descriptive terms such as patterns or design names correctly.

Do your research

If you have an item to sell and you are completely certain of the edition, pattern, or design use the internet to try to find out. Placing an item up for auction will too little information will yield a much lower selling price than one with an accurate description. I have seen this common mistake most recently on Vera Bradley items for sale. Vera Bradley handbags are very popular right now and can sell for a very nice price if the description includes the correct pattern name and design. Listing a bag as simply Vera Bradley or "Yellow Vera Bradley" will get little interest. But listing the bag as "Vera Bradley On the Go Bag in Yellow Hope" gives a much better description and will show up in more searches yielding more bids.

Post a Picture

I have seen many listings placed on Ebay without a picture of the item. Listings without pictures do not sell for as much as items that have a picture. You do not have to pay for the gallery picture in order to get the benefit of adding a picture to the listing. Even without the gallery picture a camera icon will be displayed next to your listing title to inform buyers that there is a picture of the item. Buyers are much more apt to bid on an item that they can see. So, if you have the ability, make sure to post a picture with your listing. The first one is free!

Don't inflate the shipping costs

One major deterent for buyers on Ebay is a high shipping cost. Make sure that your shipping and handling fees are fair to both you and the buyer. If you choose you can use Ebay's shipping calculator which will calculate shipping costs based on the buyers location. You can also have the shipping calculator add in your own handling fees to cover the cost of packaging the item. Another option is to have a flat rate shipping and handling fee. If you elect for this option, take the item to the post office and have it weighed and obtain an estimated shipping cost. Make sure that you clearly post your shipping and handling fees in the listing.

Avoiding these common Ebay selling mistakes will bring in more bidders and should increase your Ebay sales.