Are you ready to increase your eBay online sales in with less than 1 hour of work? I know you are, so let’s get to work!
Go into your eBay inventory and sort it by how long it’s been listed.
You can sort by date listed with or without an eBay store in your eBay Selling Manager, Selling Manager Pro and/or Seller Hub by customizing your view. Make sure you have start date clicked in your customized view. HERE is how to access and change this in your My eBay.
Look at what you paid for the items. If you’ve had the product(s) for more than 2 years there are 3 tactics you can use.
You can sit tight and see if the item sells. If the product in question is a collectible item, waiting for the right buyer can make sense. It would be wise to have your collectible items listed using Best Offer and periodically tweak the keywords and promote the listings on social media.
After sorting your eBay inventory your 1st tactic for older merchandise is do a serious mark down sale if you have an eBay store.
A deeply discounted sale is a tactic brick and mortar retail stores use regularly and it works. Mark the older items down, 30, 40, 50% and run short duration sales. With Markdown Manager or CampaignGO you can set up a sale quickly. CampaignGo has the added benefit to the seller that one can mark down merchandise using the seller’s own eBay store SUBCATEGORIES! Using subcategories is helpful in targeting merchandise to move! Slash your prices as deeply as you can. Your sales goal is to move merchandise. A short duration sale gives the eBay seller slash pricing and a time clock on the item. You want customers seeing how little time is left on that sales clock encouraging them to make their purchase NOW while your item is deeply discounted! I can set up a sale with CampaignGo in under 90 seconds!
It’s Time To Sell!
The 2nd tactic to increase sales with less than 1 hour of work is to run eBay auctions. You can run eBay auctions with or without an eBay store.
Take an assortment of your inventory that’s been sitting for a while and set up a series of auctions. Set your auctions to start at a price you are willing to take if you only get 1 bid. Normally Sunday night and Monday night are the highest traffic times on eBay, but do your own research using eBay’s Advanced Search and the professional research tool Terapeak. Some items sell better on weekdays and or daytime. Take a few minutes and see what’s best for the eBay inventory that you are selling. While you’re researching double check your keywords and make sure you’ve made the best choices. eBay auctions done right can move merchandise quickly and effectively. I outline advanced auction strategies to increase your sales in my hit class Secret Sauce for eBay Sales.
In under 1 hour you’ve sorted your older eBay listings into 3 batches.
With batch 1 of inventory you consider using Best Offer and you are willing to wait for the right buyer. Batch 2 you run a series of deeply discounted sales to take advantage of slash pricing and the eBay sales clock. Your 3rd batch with some research you’ll launch a series of auctions to move stale merchandise and increase your immediate cash flow. Secret Sauce for eBay Sales is a huge help to eBay sellers with or without an eBay store to successfully optimize your eBay auctions to bring you the very best prices.
There are 2 important dates this week for eBay sellers! May 1 is the first important date for sellers for 2 reasons!
eBay Top Rated sellers that want to maintain Top Rated Plus Status and it’s 20% final value fee discount will need to offer 30 day returns as of May 1.
Offer 30 Returns To Keep Top Rated Plus Discount!
The criteria to be a Top Rated Seller on eBay remains the same and is outlined on eBay HERE.
Newer eBay sellers may not be aware of the fact that you do not need to have an eBay store to be a Top Rated or Top Rated Plus seller.
The criteria for eBay‘s Top Rated Seller is the amount of time the seller has been actively selling on eBay, the seller’s number of transactions and total sales dollars with US buyers and outstanding customer service.
One can be a Top Rated Seller on eBay and NOT Top Rated Plus.
To achieve the Top Rated Plus standing for one’s eBay listings the Top Rated Seller must offer same or 1 business day handling and as of May 1, a 30 day money back guarantee. Top Rated Plus status is a huge plus for seller’s profits on eBay! Every item of a Top Rated Seller’s that meets the criteria for Top Rated Plus receives a 20% final value fee discount on the item when it sells. This Top Rated Plus discount has no ceiling. Sellers can save $30, $50, $100 and more every month by making sure once they achieve Top Rated Seller status that they set up their listings to get the Top Rated Plus seal and discount!
The 2nd reason for eBay sellers to pay special attention to May 1 is that eBay store owners will get more listings for each eBay Store Level!
May 1 Means More Listing For eBay Stores!
All levels of eBay store are getting more listings as of May 1! Basic stores will get an increase of 50 fixed price listings, and increase of 150 auction listings in fashion and collectibles. This will mean Basic store owners will have a monthly allotment of 250 fixed price listings and 250 in auctions, with category restrictions for auctions. eBay Premium store owners increase from 500 to 1000 fixed price listings per month. Premium store owners will also see their monthly allotment of auctions listings in certain categories increase from 100 to 500. Anchor store owners monthly allocation of fixed price listings rise from from 2,500 to 10,000! Anchor stores are also seeing an increase from 100 auctions listings in certain categories to 1,000! All store levels also will receive coupons towards eBay branded shipping supplies. Anchor stores will receive customer service phone support as of July 1.
The 2nd Date for eBay sellers to note in May is May 6.
eBay stores all change prices as of May 6. eBay store sellers will be able to change their store level without penalty until June 4. When a seller switches up or down up until June 4 the seller fees will be prorated by the choice(s) the seller makes.
It is always good to be a Top Rated Seller on eBay. Once a seller achieves Top Rated status to gain the 20% final value fee Top Rated Plus discount make sure you offer same or 1 business day handing and a 30 day or better money back guarantee!
Here’s to wonderful savings and sales coming your way eBay seller!
With the right research, yes it can! I will tell you simple research secrets that will enable you to grow your business from information you already have!
Look at your sales on eBay and or Etsy for the past 6 months.
What categories and items have been your top sellers?
What sells best for you?
What do your eBay and Etsy shoppers like to buy from you? Do you find that your best selling items are men’s clothing, women’s clothing, automotive accessories, kid’s toys, video games or housewares? Within each category that sells well for you dig deeper. Locate within that top selling category the items that are bringing you shoppers.
Make a list of your top sellers.
Make A List!
Be sure and take the time to note the color and sizes of items most in demand. With your list in hand think where you bought the items that sold so well. Can you get more? If the answer is no, are there other places to buy the items? If the item was a closeout look on the internet and see if you can find other sources of the same or similar inventory. I often buy lots off eBay and break the lots down. I list items in smaller product groups and or sell them as single products. Larger bundles can be broken into smaller bundles for a nice profit. I detail this process in my successful class on product bundling Secret Spice for Online Sales.
If you’re items are unique and one of a kind start scouting all your local auctions, thrift shops, consignment shops and Craig’s List. You can advertise for items in local papers. Have you tried joining Facebook groups for people in your area selling items to source products? Always check the rules for buying and selling groups. Look at Instagram. I’m finding lots of sellers there. With the low fees on Instagram and other sites bargains can be found.
The internet is a wide and wonderful place to sell. It’s also a very wide and wonderful place place to buy.
Shop The Internet For Inventory!
Equipped with your list, you are set to use Google search to scour sites for inventory.
Don’t neglect local buying and selling sites to acquire inventory, being mindful of rules.
eBay begins it’s Spring Seller Update with the importance of optimization for mobile shoppers!
eBay stresses the importance of mobile shoppers on the eBay platform. Throughout the Spring Seller Update eBay lets sellers know what eBay is doing to attract mobile customers and keep them coming back and shopping more and more!
Optimize For Mobile Shoppers!
To help mobile shoppers buy with ease eBay will display 800 characters of a seller’s listing when the seller keeps their listing descriptions to 800 characters or less. Currently eBay uses an algorithm to pull 250 characters from seller’s description. With this newest update sellers have the opportunity for more of their listing’s description to show! Keeping an eye on your character count and keep your listings to under 800 characters! I explain the importance of this and how this helps sellers in my FREE Spring Seller Update Tips sheet. Click HERE for yours.
There are important changes for Jewelry Sellers!
eBay is making major changes in the jewelry category to benefit sellers and make it easier for buyers to understand what they are purchasing!
Good News For Jewelry Sellers!
There is an expansion of metals and stones that can be listed in the jewelry category.
Important changes are in effect for fine metals and how they are to be listed. There are updated item specifics for jewelry sellers to use in their listings. If you sell items with “enhanced” diamonds it must be noted in the item’s title, item specifics and description. If a natural gemstone is “treated” it must be duly noted in the title, item specifics and description! Click HERE for all the complete jewelry policy.
eBay shoppers love and look for product reviews. When your buyer leaves a review, your seller name appears with the review! Sellers can also review products that they sell! Click HERE for my tips how to use the Spring Seller Update to benefit your eBay listings.
Seller Hub will be available to all US sellers Summer of 2016!
eBay’s advanced selling dashboard Seller Hub is currently in Beta. US sellers can look forward to Seller Hub rolling out to all sellers for their eBay business this summer!
Fees for all levels of eBay stores increase May 1, 2016. The fees increases range from $5 a month for Basic store subscriptions to $170.965 and $199.95 for the top level Anchor Stores. All store levels get an increase in store allotment listings and auction listings. All store levels get quarterly coupons for eBay branded shipping supplies. The top level Anchor Store subscribers get an 800 number with access by phone with the high level customer service agents. For the full dollar breakdown read my Spring Seller Update Free Tip Sheet.
Sellers can look forward the opportunity to have more of their description show easily to mobile shoppers, Product Reviews to bring more consumers to eBay, increased store fees come with an increased number of listings, great updates to the jewelry category, Seller Hub rolling out for all US sellers and more category changes coming soon.
All the Spring Seller Updates have 1 thing in common. The Spring Update continues to make eBay a vibrant shopping place that is attractive and easy to use whether you’re on a computer or mobile device, but particularly easy for the ever increasing number of mobile shoppers!
eBay Spring Seller release says sellers be ready for more and more mobile shoppers and here are tools to help you!
Daily sellers come to me asking, “Kathy, how do I increase my sales on eBay? Kathy, how do I make more money on Etsy?”
How Do I Increase My Sales?
When I talk with sellers with failing or slow sales often I witness people using strategies with no real idea of why they are doing what they are doing. They read a post, or watch a YouTube describing how someone had success doing XX so the online seller looking to increase their cash flow jumps on the tip looking for instant sales results! I totally understand this predicament. When online sales are slow, out of desperation an entrepreneur will grab at tips often without checking the date and validity of the information!
When implementing sales strategies for eBay and Etsy check the date of the advice. If the post is more than 1-2 years old it’s very likely not up to date with what is currently effective for eBay, Etsy or Google search.
Step 1 to increase your sales on eBay, Etsy is slow down and think.
Take pen and paper or use an app like Evernote and consider what you want to accomplish. Then think through how you plan to do it.
It’s Important To Plan!
Take time and ponder, “How can I increase my sales?”
Do I need to list more? Do I need to carry a great variety of inventory? Do I need to offer a greater variety of price points to my shoppers?
When researching on eBay using eBay’s advanced search can help you get information you need. To get more in depth insights look at the professional eBay research tool Terapeak. Check your item’s price to make sure you are competitive not just on eBay or Etsy but on the worldwide web.For Etsysellers Flipper Tools can help you with product sold price research.
Step 2 to increasing your online sales is to prioritize!
When sales are slow it’s easy to panic and start taking a series of random actions, similar to throwing spaghetti on the wall and seeing what sticks!
Setting your priorities in the steps you want to take to increase your sales on eBay and Etsy will help you make wise choices with your time each day.
Step 3 is do your plan!
How often have you made a plan to increase increase your online inventory and then not done the necessary research, product shopping or listing? Have you gone to list an item and not taken the time to research what are the best choices for you to make on eBay that get you the most money? My hit eBook The Secret to eBay Search For Sellers walks you step by step through your eBay listing giving you the tools to write a winning eBay listing and maximize your sales profits! It’s not just a matter of buying winning inventory to sell! Listing your eBay product in an optimized format gains you the maximum sales results you want!
Step 4 is enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Congratulations! You looked at what it would take to move your eBay or Etsy business to the next level! You took the time to research and made a practical plan to increase your online sales. You then set your priorities and equipped yourself with good information and put your strategy to work! Reward yourself with a special treat! Perhaps it’s time for a luxurious manicure pedicure or you might prefer a delicious meal at your favorite restaurant, or both?! Enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Every day of the year an online seller is facing catastrophic weather. Fire, tornadoes, torrential rain fall, hurricanes and more impact eBay and Etsy sellers regularly!
To successfully deal with the impact of a natural disaster on your online business it’s smart to take some time now to make an emergency business plan. When bad weather comes your way a well thought out emergency business plan alleviates stress on you during a very challenging time.
Take Time Now To Plan!
Make A Business Emergency Plan Now!
1-Where is your inventory? If your inventory is in your home, in a storage unit or warehouse make sure your items are off the ground. Inventory is best stored during bad weather as high as possible off the ground on metal shelves. Metal shelving is sturdier than plastic. Pick shelves that the height of the shelves can be customized for your needs. Consider raising the bottom shelf height when a storm heads your way.
Decide if you are best to hang clothing on a rack
or fold and put items in plastic bins. Plastic bins can help protect your inventory from rain. For most items cardboard boxes are not a wise storage choice. They are easily saturated by rain and offer little to no protection for your inventory,
2- Put Your Store On Vacation.
Be Smart! Put Your Store On Vacation!
If you have an Etsy shop consider putting your shop on vacation. Your shop listings will be blocked from buyers. If you regularly face bad weather, and sell digital downloads, consider having 2 Etsy Shops, 1 for your regular inventory and 1 for your digital products. With 2 shops you can leave your digital shop open for sales and vacation your other. Click here to learn how to put your Etsy Shop on vacation.
eBay sellers without an eBay store think about ending all your listings. With bad weather and potentially no electricity you don’t want to face trying to mail products and answering customer service inquiries. Once the bad weather has passed relist all your products. Investigate the fees involved an eBay store. It can be worth it to open a Basic Store for a short period of time, and use the store vacation setting to block your listings from shoppers. Here’s how to put your eBay store on vacation. http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/placing-store-vacation.html
There are 2 settings for putting an eBay store on vacation. You can block your listings or leave them available for sale. Facing horrible weather blocking your listings may be the best choice. Dealing with a tornado or a hurricane is stressful enough without thinking about shipping inventory. With horrific weather you may be without power for days. Should your inventory be portable and you have a trained co worker or family member not in the path of bad weather, moving your inventory and business to that person’s home may be a viable choice for you. If you are a Top Rated Seller with same or 1 business day handling, an extra precaution for you is to bulk edit your listings and change your handling time to 5 or more days.
3- Should Someone Have Your Passwords?
If you have a trusted friend, family member or employee you may want to give them the passwords to your account(s). If something needs to be done while you are unavailable a trusted family member or co worker can step in for you. Have them check customer messages while you are facing bad weather. If you are a drop shipper you can train someone to run your business for you during a disaster. Also consider using a Password Manager Cloud System like Last Pass where you can store your passwords and access them remotely. Last Pass has a free and premium version.
4- What About Banking And Personal Readiness?
With bad weather coming your way, decide how much cash you need on hand. Make sure your necessary medications are in ample enough supply to last you more than a few days. Put a full tank of gas in all your vehicles.
5- Back Up Your Data.
Back up all your data to a cloud service, so that if you need to log into your information while away from your home office, your information will be current. It can also be useful to back up date on a portable hard drive to take your data with you.
6- Charge all devices and Juice Packs.
Take the time to thoroughly charge all your phones and tablets. I have Mophie Juice Packs on all our business phones. They keep our smart phones fully charged for a long time.
In addition to Mophies I have portable juice packs. With Mophies and portable packs I have power for our phones for many, many hours with no power.
Make a plan that works for you and your online business. With your plan in hand should you face dangerous weather you can focus on you and your family’s personal safety. You can quickly and easily follow your business plan alleviating stress at a very challenging time.
Remember, your personal safety is more important than any sale. I personally faced Hurricaine Sandy here in NYC. My plan saved me hours of precious time that I need to prepare my family. Be prepared. Be safe. When the bad weather passes, you’ll reopen your store and welcome shoppers!
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
__cf_bm
1 hour
This cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management.
_GRECAPTCHA
6 months
Google Recaptcha service sets this cookie to identify bots to protect the website against malicious spam attacks.
apbct_cookies_test
session
CleanTalk sets this cookie to prevent spam on comments and forms and act as a complete anti-spam solution and firewall for the site.
apbct_headless
session
Cleantalk set this cookie to detect spam and improve the website's security.
apbct_page_hits
never
CleanTalk sets this cookie to prevent spam on comments and forms and act as a complete anti-spam solution and firewall for the site.
apbct_prev_referer
session
Functional cookie placed by CleanTalk Spam Protect to store referring IDs and prevent unauthorized spam from being sent from the website.
apbct_site_landing_ts
session
CleanTalk sets this cookie to prevent spam on comments and forms and act as a complete anti-spam solution and firewall for the site.
apbct_site_referer
3 days
CleanTalk Spam Protect sets this cookie to prevent spam and to store the referrer page address which led the user to the website.
apbct_timestamp
session
CleanTalk sets this cookie to prevent spam on comments and forms and act as a complete anti-spam solution and firewall for the site.
apbct_urls
3 days
CleanTalk Spam Protect sets this cookie to prevent spam on our comments and forms and acts as a complete anti-spam solution and firewall for this site.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement
1 year
Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie records the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
CookieLawInfoConsent
1 year
CookieYes sets this cookie to record the default button state of the corresponding category and the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.
ct_has_scrolled
session
CleanTalk sets this cookie to store dynamic variables from the browser.
ct_pointer_data
session
CleanTalk sets this cookie to prevent spam on the site's comments/forms, and to act as a complete anti-spam solution and firewall for the site.
ct_timezone
session
CleanTalk–Used to prevent spam on our comments and forms and acts as a complete anti-spam solution and firewall for this site.
thrivecart_v2
session
ThriveCart sets this cookie to enable the functionality of the shopping cart should you buy something.
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Cookie
Duration
Description
ct_checked_emails
session
Clean Talk sets this cookie to prevent spam on the site's comments or forms.
ct_checkjs
session
Clean Talk sets this cookie to prevent spam on the site's comments or forms.
ct_fkp_timestamp
session
Clean Talk sets this cookie to prevent spam on the site's comments or forms.
ct_ps_timestamp
session
Clean Talk sets this cookie to prevent spam on the site's comments or forms.
ct_sfw_pass_key
1 month
Clean Talk sets this cookie to prevent spam on the site's comments or forms.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Cookie
Duration
Description
__utma
1 year 1 month 4 days
Google Analytics sets this cookie to distinguish users and sessions. The cookie is created when the JavaScript library executes and there are no existing __utma cookies. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics.
__utmb
1 hour
Google Analytics sets this cookie to determine new sessions/visits. __utmb cookie is created when the JavaScript library executes and there are no existing __utma cookies. It is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics.
__utmc
session
Google Analytics sets this cookie to enable interoperability with urchin.js, an older version of Google Analytics and is used in conjunction with the __utmb cookie to determine new sessions/visits. It is deleted when the user closes the browser.
__utmt
10 minutes
Google Analytics sets this cookie to inhibit the request rate.
__utmz
6 months
Google Analytics sets this cookie to store the traffic source or campaign by which the visitor reached the site.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Cookie
Duration
Description
_fbp
3 months
Facebook sets this cookie to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising after visiting the website.
_ga
1 year 1 month 4 days
Google Analytics sets this cookie to calculate visitor, session and campaign data and track site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognise unique visitors.
_gat_gtag_UA_*
1 minute
Google Analytics sets this cookie to store a unique user ID.
_gid
1 day
Google Analytics sets this cookie to store information on how visitors use a website while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the collected data includes the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
ct_screen_info
session
CleanTalk sets this cookie to complete an anti-spam solution and firewall for the website, preventing spam from appearing in comments and forms.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Cookie
Duration
Description
ebay
session
The domain of this cookie is owned by Ebay. This cookie is used for targeting and advertising purpose.
fr
3 months
Facebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites with Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
NID
6 months
Google sets the cookie for advertising purposes; to limit the number of times the user sees an ad, to unwanted mute ads, and to measure the effectiveness of ads.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE
6 months
YouTube sets this cookie to measure bandwidth, determining whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA
6 months
YouTube sets this cookie to store the user's cookie consent state for the current domain.
YSC
session
Youtube sets this cookie to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devices
never
YouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos.
yt-remote-device-id
never
YouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos.
yt.innertube::nextId
never
YouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
yt.innertube::requests
never
YouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
