by Kathy Terrill | Jan 23, 2017 | eCommerce Selling Tips, Selling on eBay
Do you ever struggle wondering, “Where are my eBay sales?” This can happen to any online seller, not just eBay sellers. You may wonder where are my Etsy, Amazon or my website sales?
You pop into Facebook seller groups and it seems everyone but you is scoring sales. So what is a seller to do?
First thing to do is breathe.
There is an ebb and flow to eCommerce and retail sales.
Ever walk into a retail store and no one is shopping but you? Then 10 minutes later there are 20 shoppers surrounding you! You just witnessed the ebb and flow to retail sales.
If it’s not a temporary lull but a downward spiral of days with no sales, then it’s time to take action.
The next step is research is make sure that you are selling products that people want.
Sellers will come to and say ” Kathy I don’t have any sales.” I will look at their listings and check sales for the brands and types of items they are selling. I will discover that a large portion of their listings are items that show no sales on eBay for weeks. If shoppers are not looking to buy what you have, it’s not about doing or not doing social media, it’s about listing products that are in demand.
I will ask the seller why XX product is listed. I get a variety of answers. The answers range from “I’m cleaning out my closet, to ” it was only one dollar at the thrift store.”
It is far wiser to spend $30 on an item that sells for $100, than to spend $1 several times over on inventory that doesn’t sell.
Research is key. When you’re shopping check solds on your smart phone with eBay‘s advanced search or a professional research tool like Terapeak.
Let’s say your item IS in demand BUT you have a lot of competition. To do well in eBay search you’ll want to gain and maintain Top Rated Seller status on eBay. A good handling time of 1 day or less will help your listings, as will a 30 day or better return policy. Ship your inventory internationally through eBay‘s Global Shipping Program, or ship internationally yourself. Add to this check list, an optimized listing title, 4 or more pictures, filled in item specifics and a clear and concise description. My hit guide, Secret To eBay Search For Sellers will walk you line by through your eBay listing to make sure you’re optimized for every nuance of eBay search.
Now here comes the icing on the cake. If you have more than 1 of the item that you’re selling, use eBay’s paid Promoted Listing program available only to eBay store owners. Not only does it help to get your item sold, it will increase traffic to your listings. Learn more about Promoted Listings in my blog post The Secret To Boosting Sales On eBay.
So, when sales are slow after taking a deep breath, successful sellers take action and they R.E.A.P.
R is review. Review prices. E is evaluate. Is your listing optimized for search? A is alter. Make necessary changes to to your listings and inventory to be optimized and positioned to sell. P is promote. Use Promoted Listings, eBay collections and social media to stand out and get found in eBay and Google search by potential shoppers.
R.E.A.P. and get sales!
by Kathy Terrill | Dec 8, 2015 | eCommerce News, eCommerce Selling Tips, Selling on eBay
The Holiday shopping countdown is on and it’s time to make sure your goods are sold and your online customers are thrilled!
Time to thrill online shoppers!
If you’ve been using the tips found here on this blog and my hit class Secret Sauce for ebay Sales you’re busy packing ebay sales!
Follow these 4 tips to continue your successful selling on ebay, Etsy and your online website. These will work now and right up to Christmas!
- Answer any and all questions as fast and accurately as possible. This time of year fast, polite and calming customer service is crucial to capture the sale. If you don’t answer a potential customer quickly, your shopper will find a seller who does!
- Whenever possible ship the same day that the item is ordered. Fast shipping is a must this time of year.
- Offer free and or paid shipping upgrades. If a customer wants an item overnight or in 2 days, you want to be the seller that offers that to them.
- Be sure to keep sourcing inventory to offer buyers! Online sellers ran away with Black Friday sales this year which means many brick and mortar retailers will be deeply discounting item to meet sales goals. Keep an alert eye out for inventory for you to acquire. Fresh inventory bring shoppers back again and again as they browse your newest finds!
Shoppers are tired and frazzled.
Shoppers are tired and frazzled. Keep this in mind as you answer questions and swiftly pack orders.
Offering great products, kind and professional customer service and quickly dispatching customer’s purchases brings you happy and satisfied customers singing your praises.
Aren’t happy customers the true goal of a successful Holiday selling season?
Fa la la la.
by Kathy Terrill | Dec 4, 2015 | eCommerce News, eCommerce Selling Tips, Selling on eBay, Social Media Tips
It’s 3 week til Christmas.
Are you wondering where are the shoppers?
Sellers if you are enjoying great sales that is fantastic! You have 3 weeks to continue to do and grow what you are doing in your ebay and Etsy business! Continue to list, run sales, and create and use promotional coupons. Post your most attractive items to Facebook, Twitter , Pinterest, Google Plus and Instagram. If you’re not doing it consider taking it up a notch and boost some of your Facebook posts with a Facebook ad campaign.
For sellers that are a tad discouraged right now, take heart!
Time to stop and think!
Pause for a minute.
Calmly take a look at your inventory. Decide what is gift worthy. What do you sell that is new and sealed or a wonderful collectible gift. Those are the items you need to focus on. Jump on ebay or Etsy and check prices. Prices can change with lightening speed at the Holidays up or down. In order for you to move your inventory quickly carefully consider the best prices to be offering right now. For some categories you may need to be checking prices daily to stay competitive and sell with maximum profits.
If you’re on ebay use ebay’s Advanced search to see if the items you have listed are being bought by customers. Take some time to dig deeper and see what the hot items are in your categories. You can do this quickly and expertly with the excellent research tool Terapeak. It’s not just a matter of listing on ebay. As a successful seller I want to source and list what has a good sell through rate.
If you are having a slow Holiday season it’s crucial that you find out what is hot NOW and see if you can source it. Terapeak can help you locate the current top sellers so you can get profits quickly, not in a year.
In conclusion, if you having a banner year continue and look to take it up a notch.
If you’re floundering stop. Assess your most saleable inventory. Then check your prices and know that you may need to check prices daily in very hot categories. Do some research to see if the items you have for the Holidays are selling at all. Advanced search and Terapeak will give you this important information. To maximize Holiday sales use Terapeak to do a deep dive into ebay categories to find the current hot products and look locally and online to source these items fast and increase your sales now!
ebay and Etsy sellers it’s time to jump in and grab those Holiday profits!
by Kathy Terrill | Oct 18, 2015 | Selling on eBay
Ebay small business sellers it’s less than 70 days til Christmas!
Christmas is coming fast!
OK, take a deep breath.
If you have an ebay store you have access to an ebay store header!
In less than 30 minutes you can decorate your ebay store to give it a festive feel just as if you were Macy’s or Target!
Decorate your ebay store for the Holidays!
You can add a Holiday touch to your ebay store header including a Christmas tree or some ornaments! Decorating your store header helps communicate the joy and fun of the Holidays to your online shoppers!
This can be done for free or low cost with Fiver or Canva.
You can hire a professional designer. I use and recommend Kathy Keefe and her excellent and reasonably priced graphic services for online sellers.
Doing an ebay Holiday header is a quick and effective way to move your ebay store up a notch! ebay Holiday headers are a great way to attract shoppers during the hectic months of November and December!
I speak to this underutilized ebay sales booster in my recent presentation for Top Rated Seller Webinars.
Enjoy watching this Youtube and learn Is Your ebay Store Ready For The Holidays?
Watch, decorate your store and you’re that much more ready for maximum profits this 4th quarter for your ebay business!
by Kathy Terrill | Sep 19, 2014 | eCommerce Selling Tips, Selling on eBay
4th Quarter is fast approaching for online entrepreneurs selling on ebay and elsewhere and it’s important to have your inventory listed now!When listing on ebay it is crucial to chose the right keywords and use the best order of the keywords to get maximum results in search for the items that you are selling.
There are thousands of sellers offering products on ebay and the order of your keywords can make a huge difference in how your products show in ebay’s Best Match search. Best Match is the default search on ebay.
You want to do everything you can to be on on the first page of ebay’s Best Match search and your sales item’s titles’ keywords play a role in that,
Here is a short and effective tutorial I did on youtube on how you can write ebay titles that will rank well in ebay search.
How to write great titles for your eBay listings quickly
Do you check your items regularly to see how they rank in ebay’s Best Match search?By watching the above youtube video for 3 minutes and taking notes you’ll know smart tips to help your items rank better in ebay search.
Better search results mean more of your customers can find your items more easily and you know what that means?
Yes, it means more sales for you! After all if customers can’t find your products they can’t buy them, can they?
Tweak your titles and welcome your customers to your ebay sales items now and all throughout the upcoming Holiday sales season and you’ll be enjoying that festive sound of cha ching, cha ching!
R is review. Review prices. E is evaluate. Is your listing optimized for search? A is alter. Make necessary changes to to your listings and inventory to be optimized and positioned to sell. P is promote. Use Promoted Listings, eBay collections and social media to stand out and get found in eBay and Google search by potential shoppers.
