To begin, many, many eBay sellers are solopreneurs.
By avoiding these following top five time wasters, you’ll be on the road to eBay selling success!
Numerous sellers are doing all the tasks to run their eBay business. So the seller is sourcing inventory, researching products and taking pictures. Additionally, they are shipping, doing customer service and social media. So, how on earth does someone get all this done with time left for family and friends? The answer is, avoid these top five time wasters that can consume your day.
The number one time waster for sellers is excessive research.
Before you start a deep dive on prices for items, do a quick search using eBay’s advanced search. This video shows you how.
If you find your item sells for $20 or less, you want to list as quickly and efficiently as possible. You have a good idea of the selling price already. Put it aside to photograph and list. Move on to the next item. Spending 30 minutes research a $20 item is not an effective use of your time.
Your second biggest time waster is social media.
Social media is a huge help for eBay sellers. There is an abundance of helpful content to be found. Additionally is the perfect way to attract shoppers to your products. However, it can also be a huge time suck. The Journal Of Applied Psychology recently spoke to how we have an altered sense of time when we’re online.Use your clock. Before you hop on Youtube, Facebook or Instagram, note the time. Decide how much time you’re allotting to social media. Stick to your choice. If you don’t, that 30 minutes you need for a listing is gone. Use social media, but watch the clock.
Third biggest time waster is not grouping tasks.
Whether it’s listing, shipping or running errands grouping like tasks will save you oodles of time. I can product source on my way home from the post office as it’s right on the way. Time saved fifteen minutes. Similarly, I can take pictures in batches, and then edit in batches. Time saved an hour. Go through your regular tasks. What can be grouped? Start doing them that way.
Fourth biggest time waster is not prioritizing.
Fourth biggest time waster for eBay sellers is not prioritizing.
Some things are more important than others. For sellers listing and shipping are at the head of the list. Right behind that is customer service. With those done, then look at your time. How much will you allocate today for product sourcing, social media, learning a new skill, and or bookkeeping? Take a bit of your day and write down what needs to do regularly. Then use a paper or electronic calendar and schedule those items. Similarly, do you want to keep a running daily, weekly, monthly to-do list? It’s a wise business practice to write things down and plot your days, weeks and months.
Your final biggest time waster is not saying no.
Unless you have extensive staff and family help, you can’t do everything every day. Step four is a big help in realizing this. Look at what needs to be done to run your business. Unless you’re adept at using scheduler, or have an assistant you don’t need to be active on all social media every day. Select the one most effective for you. Similarly, you don’t need to source inventory every day. Now, as you grow your business that can change. Using the first four steps, discover what is important for your eBay business. Then learn to say no to what is not needed right now.
In closing, we all have different needs and lifestyles. Taking the time to analyze what works for you and what doesn’t, you make the right choices for you. By not choosing wisely, you sabotage your success. Likewise, you’ll be frustrated every day.
By avoiding these top five time wasters for eBay sellers, you’ve cleared the path to your success. Time to list!
Twitter schedule tools save eBay sellers precious time.
There are never enough hours in the day for eBay sellers. Time savers are a must for successful sellers. Social media schedulers are crucial. To set up social media on Twitter and Facebook, there are free schedulers like Hootsuite and Buffer. Content must be continually added to these tools. I have recently discovered a set it and forget it Twitter scheduler, TweetEye.( my affiliate link). TweetEye has a free version. TweetEye sets itself apart from other auto schedulers. It’s in a class by iteself, as it has features that minimize the sameness of its tweets.
First of all, set it and forget it Twitter schedulers are a gigantic help for sellers.
They have the capability of pushing fresh content out on social media with minimal upkeep. Twitter is a great way to quickly reveal products to shoppers on social media. The challenge with using Twitter, and other social media, is the time it takes to set them up.
So, enter the solution, ( my affiliate ink) TweetEye. To use TweetEye, you’ll set up an account. Then link your social media. eBay and Etsy accounts can be synched into the tool. There is no need to have an eBay store to link your account. Once set up, click the eBay toggle.
Be sure to use the Keyword function in TweetEye. (Picture courtesy of TweetEye)
Next, you want to select a keyword to sort listings. This is very important. When you select a keyword, TweetEye will pull all your listings with that keyword.
A keyword could be dress, red, shirt, mug, winter etc.
You want to select something fairly broad and that has more than 10 listings. Once set up, as items sell from this matchup, TweetEye will replace with another item. It “refills” the schedule for you. There is no need to continually tweet items. Your TweetEye scheduler will do it for you.
Use numerous schedules to tweet your inventory. You can have one keyword dress schedule, one shirt schedule, one baseball schedule etc. It’s up to you. So, set up schedules with keywords that categorize your listings. Then let TweetEye do the work for you.
TweetEye does your tweets for you!
Once you’ve chosen your keyword, you’ll select the number of items to share. You can pick from one to ten. More than four is best. Next, select your Twitter account. After that, you can attach a bitly account. Now you’ve arrived at selecting your call to action. These are terrific. Call to actions are attached at the end of your tweet. They add variety to your social media. Pick the ones best suited to your items. After selecting your call to action be sure to check the Market Research box. Market Research uses algorithms of what is trending on social media to select the best hashtags for your Tweets.
Call to actions keep your tweets from being monotonous.
Market Trends takes the guesswork out of hashtag selection. Finally, when selecting the time your schedule will post, select a long post delay. I like five minutes. I want my tweets spread out.
Use this complimentary guide from TweetEye to set up your schedule. It takes only minutes. One pro tip. On the page for Market Intelligence UNCHECK show image. When checked TweetEye pulls the image from the RSS feed. It usually looks awful. When unchecked, your image comes from your listing.
Crafting individual tweets and uploading pictures to Hootsuite, Buffer and similar schedulers is great. If you have the time to customize your Twitter, do so. Using TweetEye(my affiliate link) you can run numerous schedules that operate on their own. Set up properly the schedule(s) will continuously pull product posts and tweet them. Occasionally it’s wise to live tweet. My Essential Social Media Cheat Sheet is loaded with ideas you’ll want to use. Twitter is great to push out a lot of product. Search engines can pick up your products from Twitter and help customers find you.
In closing, sellers are very busy.
Tools that save sellers time are not to be overlooked.
TweetEye(my affiliate link) completely automates eBay product posts to Twitter. Many auto-schedulers are very spammy and boring. They spew out, Here’s my newest thing over and over. Who wants to read that? With customized calls to action and market watch hashtags, TweetEye avoids that. Best of all, it has a complimentary version. Let’s get tweeting!
eBay Guaranteed Delivery program recently messaged a lot of USA sellers notices. Heads up, sellers. Pay attention to this winning program.
Promotional Tools Attract Shoppers!
eBay sellers want sales. First of all, many factors go into attracting customers. Start with optimized listings, with great pictures and keywords. With an eBay store, sellers access exclusive promotional tools. These are Promotions Manager, Promoted Listings, and Sale Events.
So, what if a seller does not have a store? What options do they have?
Especially relevant is social media. Done right, it attracts shoppers. My Essential Social Media Cheat Sheet offers proven strategies to win in social media. Your complimentary copy is right HERE.
There is an eBay program that offers sellers a boost in sales with or without an eBay store!
Furthermore, it carries no additional fees to sellers. It is eBay’s Guaranteed Delivery program. Dotcom Distributiondid a recent survey. It found 87% of shoppers look to fast delivery as key to their decision to buy. So, Guaranteed Delivery gives online consumers what they want. To qualify for Guaranteed Delivery, listings must have same or one business day handling. In addition, a return policy and immediate payment are mandated. Also, sellers must have a record of shipping on time, with great customer service. They DO NOT need to have a store to qualify! HERE are the eligibility requirements in detail. You can print labels with eBay shipping and other services, including Stamps.com. (My affiliate link)
So, once accepted into the program, listings that comply are automatically enrolled. This a total win for sellers. This is why. Shoppers are offered Guaranteed Delivery items in several filters. One is a three-day delivery toggle. Additionally, this toggle shows on devices and computers at the top of product search.
Guaranteed Delivery is featured to buyers! (image from eBay)
So, there are also one to four-day delivery filters for shipping options on computers. Furthermore, these filters are at the top of the filter section. Simply, only Guaranteed Delivery listings show in the filters. So, once in Guaranteed Delivery, qualifying listings appear in more eBay search placements. There is no additional fee to the seller for this added exposure.
My YouTube video, eBay Guaranteed Delivery –The Good, The Bad, The Uglydetails the benefits of Guaranteed Delivery. In addition, it includes some bonus search tips.
In conclusion, Guaranteed Delivery is the seller’s best friend.
It has no additional seller fees. Furthermore, it’s a home run with added search benefits. So, if you’re not in now, watch your eBay messages. While waiting, get your listings ready. Once in, enjoy the added search exposure and sales!
eBay’s Spring Seller Update 2018 is out. Like all of eBay’s updates, there is terrific news for sellers. And, there is also some very painful information.
To begin, under the leadership of CEO Devin Wenig, eBay continues major upgrades.
As announced in 2015, massive structured data and Artificial Intelligence initiatives are unfolding. Product search is now more intuitive. There is a more fluid shopping experience to capture and please internet shoppers.
Shoppers want fast shipping.
Also, consumers want to easily discover products they want to buy. In addition, they want a frictionless returns. eBay is giving it to them.
Guaranteed Shipping will be rolling out to many sellers in March. It is popular with consumers looking to know exactly when their purchase will arrive. Qualifying seller’s listings are displayed under different arrival date filters. It costs sellers nothing to be included. Consumers love it. It’s a win-win. In addition, there will be a robust shipping area for sellers. Graphics and shipping options will be clearer. This looks to streamline shipping, saving users precious time.
eBay’s Promoted Listings will appear on the homepage!
Promoted Listings appear many places on the eBay site. What’s exciting to sellers is that there will now be a placement on the main eBay landing page. Now more than ever Promoted Listings is essential to qualifying Top Rated sellers and all store owners. Use my complimentary guide, to ignite your sales with Promoted Listings.
The catalog is evolving. This is no surprise to anyone following Devin Wenig’s numerous speeches speaking to upgrades to the shopping experience on the platform. 14 categories are now mandated to use the catalog.
So, with the changes in categories, sellers can look to improved item specifics.
As you see shifts in impacted eBay selling categories, take advantage. If eBay is adding item specifics, it’s because shoppers are using those in search. Fill them in and reap the search benefits,
Look for a makeover in eBay stores. As of May 1, a Starter level store will be offered below the Basic Store. Very large vendors can select an Enterprise store. Sellers can downgrade to a Starter Store with no penalties if they do so during the month of May 2018. Fee increases are planned for Basic stores and sellers with no stores, All store levels are promised a new more mobile friendly look soon. The new look will somewhat mirror the buyer experience on the home page. All of this offers sellers more choices for their businesses. My video breaks it all down for you.
eBay return policies are updated. Gone are numerous choices for returns. As of May 2018, there are five choices for sellers. Of the five, only two will qualify to receive the Top Rated Plus discount. Those are 30 day free returns and 60 day free returns. The restocking fee option is gone. My complimentary guide Spring Seller Update 2108 breaks all this down for you. I have several solutions for sellers who use restocking fees. Included are Pro Tips to maximize sales with changes the update brings.
Sellers are hit in their wallets.
If they want their Top rated Plus discount, they must pay for returns. So, to minimize the pain, sellers can select different return policies for different items. There is no need to offer free returns on all items. If you have very few returns, offering free returns has no impact. So, why not do it? If you sell products with a high return rate, consider if the discount outweighs the cost to your business. Chose what works for you.
Implement multiple return policies, if that’s the wisest choice for you.
In conclusion, the shopping experience on eBay is more intuitive and mobile friendly. Shipping is having awesome upgrades. Promoted listings get the coveted landing page placement. Stores get a makeover and include new levels. Fees increase. Returns are simplified. With new return policies, sellers make the difficult choice of whether to offer free returns.
eBay’s Spring Seller Update of 2018 is packed with good news of exciting upgrades. It also comes the real pain of free returns. This is an update for businesses to crunch their numbers and test. Use the data my Spring Seller Update Guideoffers.
Each seller is wise to watch their sales numbers and returns. Looking at this key data, savvy sellers can have their online sales soar.
Sellers of all levels ask the same critical question. “What’s a money maker on eBay?”
No matter if you thrift, do retail arbitrage or buy wholesale, eBay sellers want to know, ” What will sell and make me good money now?” Immediately after discovering popular products, the next question is “How do I get some?” Offering in-demand inventory is important to selling success. Equally vital is having a relationship with good inventory sources. Sellers shop thrift shops, yard sales, traditional brick and mortar stores and buy wholesale. Having more than one source of inventory is wise.
To start, successful sellers discover and then sell in-demand items. They stay on top of the trends, watching pop culture, social media, and retail trends. Most online entrepreneurs develop expertise in several areas. So, sellers become adept at men’s, women’s and kid’s clothing, sporting goods, toys, video games and much much more.
According to DMR, there are over 25 million eBay sellers with over a billion items listed.
There are millions of sellers on eBay!
With the millions of vendors and a vast array of products on eBay, often entrepreneurs will stick to one or two tested inventory categories. While it’s important to develop areas of expertise, to remain successful, it’s good to stretch. Find and test new product lines constantly.
Oftentimes, it’s smart to add categories that relate to listings that are good money makers for you.
For instance, if women’s clothing does well for you, add women’s hats. Are your car accessories popular? If yes, then include motorcycle accessories etc.
Even experienced sellers can walk by unfamiliar hot products. Don’t make the mistake I describe in this video.
In closing, spend time on social media to be aware of popular trends. Develop relationships with reliable sources of inventory. Having more than one source of goods is smart.
Be alert, to new opportunities for product lines you may not have considered.
As much as it’s good business to develop an expertise, don’t neglect to consider all product lines you come across. A few minutes of research can reveal an overlooked gold mine.
Be alert to new product lines that can be big sellers on eBay!
One area can waste hundreds of dollars for eBay sellers monthly.
This category of spending is something that sellers of all levels make errors in. Can you guess what it is? Is it inventory? Could it storage or travel? No, it’s shipping. That’s right sellers, it is the cost of mailing your packages.
To start, eBay beginner sellers often err by not weighing their items with all the packing materials. Wrapping materials, mailers and or boxes add weight and postage costs. First class shipping in the United States is up to 16 oz. When an item is heavier than that, the costs to the shipper can rise significantly.Hereare the current rates as outlined on the Stamps.com blog. So, even when just starting to sell, a shipping scale is an excellent investment. You can purchase a scale that will weigh up to 50 lbs for less than $20. This page has suggestions on two scales.
Experienced entrepreneurs know that shoppers love free shipping.
Shoppers love free shipping!
Marketing Landreports a consumer study where shoppers say their top consideration when buying is free shipping. Free shipping attracts shoppers and sales. With that in mind, eBay sellers need to look carefully at their return rates. So for instance, items that have no little to no returns, free shipping is a very wise choice. However, for inventory with a high return rate, sellers to need to take a close look at profits.
When an item is returned, a full refund is expected, that includes the “free shipping”. You can charge a restocking fee. Realize that when you do so, you may lose customers to sellers who do not charge such fees. Look at your competition. Sellers that get a lot of returns, can build the cost of returns into their listing price and continue with free shipping and full refunds. Top Rated sellers can get a 10% Final Value Fee discount if their items meet the criteria for Top Rated Plus. Keep that in mind when selecting how you ship.
There is an alternative that can increase vendor’s profits. Charge for shipping.
Using this practice, when the item comes back, sellers refund the product price only. For sellers that get dozens of returns a month, this is a significant increase in profits. In addition, for heavy products, a shipping calculator offers a choice where the shipping cost is adjusted to the buyer’s location. Customers save money purchasing from vendors closeby.
This video discusses when to use free shipping and when not to.
In closing, always keep an eye on your sales profits. If you get few returns, free shipping is your perfect choice. However, if you sell in categories that get a lot of returns, charging for shipping can put more cash in your pocket.
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