Stand Out On eBay This Holiday Season!

by | Nov 4, 2017 | eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay, Social Media Tips

This will the most competitive sales season ever on eBay! There are more eBay sellers and more inventory online than ever before. How can small and medium sellers compete and win in this ferocious online environment?

Smaller sellers can score their share of sales now and all through the Holidays. Here are the top three ways to do it!

#1 – CHECK PRICES ON EBAY AND THE WEB!

First of all, prices change on the internet.  Hot products prices change during the shopping season depending on availability. So, if you sell in demand Holiday products, monitor prices carefully. Take advantage of these fluctuations.  Small – medium sellers can pivot, changing their  prices. Also, small sellers can get often source popular items far faster than larger online retailers.  Use the eBay saved search feature to monitor new listings and competition online.

There are numerous hot categories right now.

Trendy clothes, party clothes, electronics, home decor, sporting goods, sports memorabilia, and crafts are all hot categories. For in depth research use Terapeak’s (ad) Hot Product Research. If you’re analyzing seasonal trends nothing beats Terapeak’s  (ad)three years of sold data!

#2-  REACH YOUR EBAY SHOPPERS WHERE THEY ARE!

The majority of Americans have a social media profile. #Facebook

81% of Americans have social media profiles.

Statista reports that 81% of Americans have a social media profile! Facebook leads the way in social media with a reported 2 billion monthly users as of July 2017.

Social media is not just for big brands.

Smaller sellers can use social media to their advantage and win! What’s key with social media  is to laser focus on your potential customer is. With that in mind, post social content mixed in with products. My Top Ten Social Media Holiday Success Tips shows you clearly how use social media to your advantage. So, you can reach your customers with social media and score sales.

By answering within minutes of getting the query, you the smaller seller will score the sale.


#3- ANSWER CUSTOMER QUESTIONS FAST!

Many large online sellers answer customer service questions with an auto responder. A customer will ask about color or fit and they get a message that the seller will get back to them within one business day. Monitor your customer service and shopper inquiries closely. By answering within minutes of getting the query, you the smaller seller will score the sale.

Shoppers don’t want to wait. They want answers. They want to buy.

YOU, the quick to respond seller scores sales. I’ve gotten numerous messages from happy customers saying ” Thank you for answering my questions. Wow that was fast. I bought from you because your replied so quickly etc”  Answering questions promptly works to get you sales during the hectic Holiday period and all year long!

Being a smaller seller can has it advantages! By closely monitoring prices, posting great engaging content on social media and being super responsive to customer service question, you gain the sales edge online!

Here’s to sales coming your way sellers!

How To Avoid Spooky Slow Sales on eBay!

by | Oct 3, 2017 | Selling on eBay, Social Media Tips

Back to school shopping is over. Halloween shopping is in full swing on eBay. Sellers are messaging me, “Kathy my sales are slow. What should I do?”

So, I answer, “It’s time to sort through your eBay inventory and discover in demand items!”

Many eBay sellers think that Halloween is solely packaged costumes.

Many sellers think that Halloween is solely packaged costumes, traditional Halloween decor and candy. So, yes, all those products sell right now. But, shoppers are looking for that and more. Examine your merchandise carefully. Do you have clothing that could be used in a costume? Can  your fashion items lend themselves to being a hippie, tacky tourist, zombie or princess? So, once you’re done sorting through your clothing, look at the accessories you have to sell. Consider your hats, belts, bags, and shoes. People often go straight from work to a Halloween costume event. The New York Times has ideas on dressing for work and then heading to your favorite Halloween party.

Your perfect scarf, or flamboyant piece of jewelry can transform the wearer into a costumed party attendee!

So, for your higher priced items, it is worthwhile to revise them. Add Halloween and costume themed keywords. Holiday keywords get you sales. Terapeak’s professional seller research tool SEO Pro gives you the best eBay search keywords and Google keywords for search and sales results. HERE is my affiliate link to test SEO Pro out for yourself!

eBay offers the perfect scarf, or flamboyant piece of jewelry that turns the wearer into a costumed party attendee!

If you have an eBay store, group items perfect for a costume in a Promotion using Promotions Manager. With a Promotion, you receive a shareable link and url address for social media. You gain additional exposure for your listings if you’re a Top Rated Seller and/or eBay Store Owner with eBay’s paid search option Promoted Listings.

Along with fun costume pieces, shoppers are looking to decorate their home and work spaces for Halloween. I’ve compiled pages of products that shoppers want to buy now. You may have them in your inventory, but are missing out on how to showcase them to shoppers.

Use my gift to you, your own copy of Hot Halloween Product Tips guide.

 

 

 

Armed with my gift of your own Hot Halloween Product Tips you’ll know which items in your current inventory are popular now.

You’ll also know what to be on the lookout for as your shop thrift and retail stores for in demand inventory.

Not finding hot merchandise to sell locally?

Look at top quality wholesale cases and pallets with BULQ. BULQ sells wholesale inventory with a detailed manifest, so you know exactly what you are buying.

Showcase your Fall/Halloween on hand inventory, tweaking keywords, using Promotions Manager, social media and Promoted Listings. With my Hot Halloween Product Tips guide, you’ll be alert to great inventory locally and wholesalers so you can add items that will sell NOW.

Bring on the Halloween sales!

The Short Cut To Killer Sales On eBay!

by | Sep 11, 2017 | eCommerce News, eCommerce Selling Tips, Selling on eBay

What is the short cut to killer sales on eBay? The answer, find what customers want. So, list products in a manner that eBay and internet search will find them. Next, enjoy watching the money pour in.

Running a profitable business on eBay starts with finding and selling the right items.

First of all, selling in demand items is not enough in the competitive world of eCommerce. Successful products must be listed in a manner that search engines find the items.

Research is key for sales success!

The short cut to killer sales on eBay has two parts. Find and source products consumers want. Next, list inventory so that search engine discover your items. In addition, list using research. Know what search engines like. Optimize your product listings. Optimization gets your listings found and sold.

How do you find in demand products?

For sales success, research four ways. First, listen to friends on the internet. What clothing styles, electronics, home decor items etc are mentioned? Furthermore, do your friends plan to buy an item soon? While you’re in a retail store, watch what people put in their shopping carts. The third way to research hot products is to search eBay by types of merchandise. Analyze sold data with the Advanced Search function .

The fourth way is to use Terapeak. Terapeak is a professional research tool with three years of sold data. Look at items you want to buy with Terapeak Product Research 2.0.  Next, analyze Terapeak’s data. So, does your product sell year round?  In addition, how fast does the item sell? With Terapeak, investigate hot selling products. Collectibles typically sell slower than other merchandise. Know how long you’ll hold an item before it sells. An unsold item is cash tied up. Buying fast selling merchandise keeps the money flowing.

So, now it’s time to source products.

Buy inventory at thrift and consignment stores. Also shop yard sales, retail stores, online sites and wholesalers.

Once bought, its time to list and sell.

Optimized listings get your products found by search and sold. Furthermore, your title is crucial to get your inventory sold.

Your title and your pictures are what shoppers see first. In addition they are important to mobile shoppers. Use eBay search to help you write a killer title. So, start typing in the words that describe your product.

Think like a buyer to get sales.

Look at your item. What terms describe it? eBay staff spoke at recent events on title length. Titles that use 75 characters or more of the 80 allotted characters get more sales.

My YouTube shows you how to write awesome titles.

Use four or more clear crisp pictures with a white background.

In addition, listings with four or more pictures are best. You can create a listing with up to twelve pictures. Image recognition is being used in search. Due to image recognition search, clear crisp pictures are a must. Click HERE for effective tips for pictures for your listing.

So, the short cut to more sales?

Take the time to research what shoppers want to buy.  Spot trends by listening to friends. Be alert when shopping in retail stores. Gain a clear picture of how fast inventory sells with Terapeak . Time spent researching inventory saves you money and frustration. While listing, let eBay search help you create keyword rich titles. Write titles that are 75 or more characters. Use four or more clear pictures in your listing. Maximize every nook and cranny of your listing to stand out in search and get sold.

 Finally, use all the insider information in my hit guide The Secret To eBay Search For Sellers.

Maximize every nook and cranny of your eBay listing to stand out in search and get sold.

Now, you’re set for your sales to take off!

Sales will take off!

Crush It On eBay This Holiday Selling Season!

by | Aug 22, 2017 | eCommerce Tips, Facebook Business Page Tips, Selling on eBay, Social Media Tips

It is not too early to start planning your sales strategy to have the best eBay Holiday Selling season ever!

Success starts with great plans and then executing them!

Step #1- Pull Out Your Calendar!

Numerous eBay sellers get themselves in a jam by not planning now for the busy Holiday selling season of November and December.

Look at your calendar and think through the new few months. I plan with Google calendar. Google Calendar is free for use.  If you like another electronic calendar or a paper calendar, great! The point is, pull it out and start mapping your course of action for the next few months. With Google Calendar I set alerts to remind me of tasks I need to do.

I create tasks and deadlines for those tasks. With Google calendar I can also make recurring tasks. Do you need to check your shipping supplies weekly or bi weekly? Use your calendar for reminders to order your free USPS Priority mail supplies. Keep an eye on your supply of polymailers, padded envelopes and boxes. When you need to buy more, Bubblefast offers great value on shipping supplies. If you use code esnbes you’ll save 10% on your entire order all year round. Setting alerts and reminder for tasks like ordering shipping supplies will keep you from running out during your busy shipping season. Calendar reminders keep you on track all during this fruitful time of year.

Step #2 Get Organized!

Take time now to organize your shipping station.

Think through your eBay selling and shipping work flow. Are your most frequently used items easy to reach and near each other? Are your boxes and mailers stored so you can see and pick the different sizes quickly? Time spent organizing this crucial part of your sales life, will pay off big time in the months to come.
Do you have a sturdy tape dispenser? (afl)

I bought this dispenser on (afl) eBay and have it ready to go on my desk. You can one yourself HERE (afl). I like that it’s heavy and doesn’t skid around. I also have a tape gun with clear packing tape in it,
Once your shipping area sparkles, tackle your inventory storage. Go through your products bin by bin, shelf by shelf. Make sure everything is listed. Double check that the item’s location is properly entered in your SKU or label organization system. If you’re selling on eBay, you can use the custom label/SKU field to input inventory location information. You the eBay seller see this handy field, your shopper doesn’t. Here is a quick video on how to use the eBay SKU/custom label field.

 

Tasks are logged on your calendar, your shipping station and inventory storage are organized, next is your social media!

Step #3- Plan Social Media!
Many eBay sellers overwhelm themselves with social media and end up doing none or a very scattered approach. They throw items up on various social platform without thought or planning. Keep it simple. This year pick 1 social media you will focus on. If you do other’s that’s great, but chose 1 to be your main focus.

Think about what is doable for you.

It is better to do 2 posts a day every day than 5 all in 1 day.
Let’s say you want to use a Facebook business page for your Holiday social media plan.
Use my free tips for your Facebook Business page to make sure it’s set to maximize your efforts. Click HERE for your FREE guide.

You could make a goal of 2 posts daily.

You want to mix lots of social content in with your eBay product posts. For instance, let’s say you’re going to be posting Fall/Winter clothing. With those product posts in mind, tips for accessorizing can be great social posts. Recipes and all things food related are very popular on Facebook. Read my popular post Get Likes And Followers o Facebook Immediately for insights on using food to be social with your followers on Facebook. Using the calendar of your choice, create reminders to post daily. Plan what items and social posts to feature. Then daily, weekly and monthly  decide what and how you want to feature them for your social media followers and enter reminders on your calendar to keep you on track.

Look ahead at the next few months.  Start now with an organized shipping station and inventory storage area. Do the best with what you have available to you. Use your favorite calendar and plan your social media content. Make sure your goals challenge you, yet are doable. Maximize your Facebook Business page now with my free power tips for your page.

Time spent now making a good foundation and a clear social media plan, is the killer punch for a knock out Holiday selling season on eBay!

eBay Sales Power Has Arrived!

by | Aug 11, 2017 | eCommerce Selling Tips, eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay

eBay sellers are always looking for more sales. So, the question is how to best accomplish it.

eBay sellers always want more sales!

 

All of eCommerce selling is very competitive. Furthermore, it’s getting more competitive daily. It’s all about getting found in search. So, better search results gets your products seen by more shoppers. More shoppers looking at your items, means more sales. With a faster turn over rate you make your money faster.

eBay has a program that gives it’s Store owners and Top Rated sellers an edge in search and sales. It is Promoted Listings.

Sales power is here with Promoted Listings for single quantity items!

Promoted Listings is eBay’s paid search initiative. So, previously only multi quantity items were boosted in paid search service.  As of 8/10/2017 single items, except Motors fulfillment, are  eligible for this popular program. Qualifying sellers control what and how they promote their listings using Promoted Listings.

Store owners and Top Rated sellers can create Campaigns through Promoted Listings. Sellers include a few or all their eligible listings. Sellers only pay a Promoted Listings fee if the shopper clicks the item through the promotion and buys the exact item within 30 days of the initial click. Any other items that the shopper buys, benefits the seller with no additional sales fee over the usual listing and final value fees.

So, to use Promoted Listings, go to your Marketing tab in Seller Hub. Click Promoted Listings. Then select  “Create A New Campaign” Creating a campaign is the process of selecting listings to be promoted.

Niche each Promoted Listing Campaign.

The reason for tightly grouping Campaigns is that by putting similar items into the same Campaign, it’s easier to analyse data and results. When Campaigns are set up over several categories, you can still get sales but it’s a more time consuming process to evaluate the effectiveness of the Campaign’s results.

eBay recommends that sellers chose the Prevailing Rate when setting up a Campaign. This is the price to get the best search result for the item selected. If the seller has very tight margins it is totally acceptable to select a lower rate. Realize a lower rate will mean the item will not be boosted in search as frequently. A lower search rate can still be effective for sellers. Sellers can also bump the rate they are charged up a bit over the prevailing rate.

It’s worth it to experiment and see if a slightly higher rate brings better sales results. Here is a Youtube from eBay on how to set up a Campaign easily and quickly for Promoted Listings.

The Promoted Listings dashboard shows your Campaign(s). Sellers have data on their overall impressions, click and sales for all their Promoted Listings Campaigns. In addition eBay sellers can access the statistics for each Campaign. Campaign results will vary. For instance, Campaign 1 has a a 1000-1 ratio for impressions to clicks, for Campaign 2 it’s 2000-1. If you note a very high number of impressions with no clicks, it’s worthwhile to analyse the listing(s) for  price, quality of photos and keywords. Used this way Promoted Listings is an awesome tool to flag under performing items.

Equip yourself with my Promoted Listings Guide to get awesome sales results. Click HERE for instant access.

Complimentary Promoted Listings Guide!

eBay’s Promoted Listings boosts your listings in eBay search for great visibility and sales.  Using it, you are set up with a powerful dashboard to gauge and monitor your sales success. You have strategic data to make powerful changes to your listings to increase your sales.

eBay’s sales powerhouse Promoted Listings has arrived. Get on board now and ignite your eBay sales!

The Essential Guide To eBay OPEN 2017!

by | Jul 16, 2017 | eCommerce Tips, Selling on eBay

eBay is returning to Las Vegas July 25-28 welcoming eBay sellers to the annual event eBay OPEN.

eBay OPEN is a mega conference event produced by eBay for it’s sellers. It’s a time of celebration and learning for the eBay community.

Sellers and staff come from not only all across the United Sates, but from around the world. eBay pulls out all the stops using cutting edge technology in it’s information and inspiring presentations, workshops and festivities.

If you’ll be at eBay OPEN, it’s worthwhile to take a bit of time to prepare before the event. Preparation can maximize the benefits of attendance.

Here are practical tips to help you take advantage of everything this eye popping event has to offer!

On the practical side:

  1. Wear comfortable shoes. You will be doing a lot of walking going to and from presentations and workshops.
  2. It’s smart to carry a light sweater or hoodie with you. Las Vegas will be 100 degrees outside, but indoors there is plenty of air conditioning.
  3. Carry a water bottle with you. It’s easy to get dehydrated in Las Vegas.
  4. Bring lots of business cards. Also have something handy to collect business cards. When meeting with eBay staff it’s smart to get their business card. It will help you  if/when you want to follow up with them on their tips and suggestions. If you’re carrying a smart phone the free app Cam Card is great for scanning business cards.
  5. Carry the electrical plugs for your cell phones, tablets and cameras. Also carry spare juice packs for your camera, phones, tablets and cameras. The days are long and eventful at eBay OPEN. You’ll want to take lots of notes, pictures and video!


On the educational side, if you’re attending eBay OPEN , you have selected which workshops you are attending. This year’s workshops are Efficient Selling Toolbox, Seller Hub, Know Your Numbers, Smart Shipping, The Perfect Listing, Know Your Audience, Maximizing Sales With eBay Marketing Tools, Building Your Brand Through Social Media, Going Global, Take Better Pictures, Case Studies, Fashion Sellers Q&A, Top Sellers Collectors Q&A, Top Sellers Hard Goods Q&A and A Conversation About Entrepreneurship. I want to take them all! Last year the workshops were videotaped. eBay has made no announcement yet about taping this year’s workshops.

What can be smart is to split the workshops with your eBay selling buddies and agree to meet up and compare notes!

Whichever workshops you plan to attend think through your eBay business needs now.

What specific questions do you want answered? If it’s not covered in the presentation, there is always a question and answer time at the end of each workshop. You can also often get time one on one with presenters in between presentations. eBay OPEN also will have an abundance of meet up areas and eBay staff team areas. Be sure and get time with the eBay staff teams of your choice.

Want to meet eBay executives? If you’re attending the eBay OPEN reception on July 25th,  if you keep an eye out you might be able to spot eBay CEO Devin Wenig, eBay’s Sr Vice President of North America Hal Lawton and Bob Kupbens Vice President of B2C Selling & Global Trust mingling with sellers.

You’ll see key eBay executives chatting with sellers throughout the event. Be bold, walk up and introduce yourself. eBay executives are attending to let you know their vision for eBay and to hear from sellers.

Don’t overlook the eBay vendors that are sponsoring eBay OPEN. Speaking with vendors is a great way to learn of new selling tools and hear of updates to tools you use. Cross channel sellers stop by Volo Commerce or Channel Advisor. Want to talk payments? Visit Paypal. Shipping solutions in attendance are Ship Station, Shiprush and Shippo. Insurance  questions for your shipping, chat with Shipsurance.
If you’re looking for a listing tool stop by Inkfrog, Auctiva or Crazylister. Collectible sellers will enjoy learning of updates to the listing research tool Worthpoint. Looking to outsource some of your work and hire a VA? 2nd Office is attending.

Sellers are always looking for great inventory to sell! Stop by BULQ and learn about the awesome wholesale liquidation inventory they offer sellers.

To accommodate sellers of all sizes BULQ offers inventory by case and by the pallet.

eBay OPEN explodes on Thursday with the eBay seller SHINE award winner being announced. Everyone heads to the party at the Brooklyn Bowl Thursday night to celebrate. This year’s band is Barenaked Ladies.

Wishing you could get in on all the learning and festivities? You can!

eBay For Business promises coverage on their Facebook Business page and Twitter account at @eBayForBusiness. Be sure and tune in for eBay Radio’s live broadcasts during the 3 days. On Twitter search by the hashtag #eBayOPEN2017. Keep an eye on social media for pictures, tweets, posts and live video from eBay and attendees!

eBay OPEN goes FAST.

Thinking through your priorities now, taking notes, making plans and writing down your questions in advance will help you to get the information you need to grow your eBay business and have the best time ever!

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