by Kathy Terrill | 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.
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!
by Kathy Terrill | 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!
by Kathy Terrill | Jun 11, 2017 | eCommerce Selling Tips, Selling on eBay
eBay sellers have been coming to me for weeks asking, “Kathy, how can I increase my Summer sales?” Are you ready for the answer? The answer is, “Work smart”. Here’s how.
First of all, consider what do people buy in the summer? If you can’t think of anything, then jump on social media. Read what your friends are talking about. So, are they discussing graduation, job hunting, gardening, travel, new films coming out or weddings? Take notes on what they are discussing.
To do these activities, what do people need to own? Write a list. Look for these items when you’re shopping at yard sales, auctions, retail stores and outlets.
What sells on eBay in the Summer?
Next, go through your unlisted inventory. Do you have in demand Summer items sitting in your unlisted pile of inventory? List those items now.
Sort through products you’ve already listed. Do you have products that shoppers would want for Summer activities?
Feature those products now to your Summer shoppers. Don’t forget to promote your Fall-Winter items for your international shoppers and for people traveling to colder climates during the summer. Just as Christmas sell year round, so do Winter clothes!
If you have an eBay store you have an awesome tool to increase Summer sales. It’s the order discount tool, Promotions Manager.
Using Promotions Manager, you can attract summer shoppers to your eBay store and keep your sales strong all summer long.
So, there are essential keys to using Promotions Manager successfully.
Make sure to group similar items together in your Promotion. Creating a Promotion that includes men’s shirts with women’s shoes is unlikely to succeed. A much better choice would be two Promotions. One Promotion for men’s clothing separate from another Promotion for women’s clothing. For collectibles consider grouping items of a similar color or period. Even if the Promotions all offer the same order discount, you want to create separate Promotions for each category of products.
Grouping Promotions with similar items, increases your likelihood of a shopper using your discount.
Group similar products you’re selling on eBay to increase sales.
Once you have your listings in mind for your Promotion, check what your average shopping cart size is. Look at your sales for the past 90 days. On average how much do customers buy from you? Do they typically spend $30, $50, $60 or more? Whatever the typical dollar amount is, you want to select a discount that encourages shoppers to spend more with you, while you still make an acceptable profit.
A discount under 20% is not going to get anybody’s attention.
Look to discount 20% or more. eBay staffers state that there is data showing shoppers love order discount offers. With this in mind create an appealing offer of 20% or more and score sales!
In addition, Promotions Manager can be combined with Promoted listings for more sales. I detail this strategy in The Secret To Boosting Sales On eBay.
An added benefit to using Promotions Manager is that your items will be offered to more shoppers by eBay.
There are other items that are shown to shoppers in addition to what you have in your Promotion, but your Promotion will be displayed frequently to consumers. I explain this, and show it to you in this YouTube.
Don’t settle for a Summer slow down in your sales on eBay this Summer.
Fight back, going the extra mile with product research and attractive order discounts. Be determined to have strong sales ALL Summer long!
by Kathy Terrill | Mar 26, 2017 | eCommerce News, eCommerce Selling Tips, Selling on eBay
Yes sellers, with my tip you can improve your search results on eBay in less than 5 minutes! To use this amazing tip right now, you will need an eBay store. So how do you accomplish a boost in eBay search in under 5 minutes? Optimize and use eBay’s paid search service Promoted Listings. Starting in April all Top Rated eBay sellers will also have access to this boost in search with or without a store.
In 5 minutes or less you can set up a Campaign for qualifying listings using Promoted Listings. Promoted listings are fast to set up. Once launched within hours your selected eBay products experience an expansion in search to buyers you want. You have in effect with a few clicks of your mouse effectively boosted your search results on the eBay platform!
Promoted Listings is currently only available to eBay store sellers with multi quantity listings. This paid service will be offered to all Top rated eBay sellers in April. Promoted Listings are a smart choice for sellers looking to increase their visibility in search. The seller only pays the promotion fee to eBay when the selected product sells by a direct click from the Promotion. The seller gets a multitude of views from potential shoppers in effect for free. Many sellers experience a boost in search and sales to the ENTIRE category that has Promoted items in it. More views can lead to MORE sales! Cha Ching!
When setting up Campaigns with Promoted Listings it’s wise to niche a Campaign. The reason for this is that it’s easier to track and compare data in a tightly selected campaign than in a broad general one. I spent time recently in San Francisco with eBay’s Promoted Listings Team. I’ve put together some killer tips from my time in California. I’m glad to pass these powerful insights to you
for free. Click HERE for yours.
In under 5 minutes, with an eBay store and Promoted Listings, your selected products gain greater visibility on eBay. Using my FREE tips you can make great choices on what and how to boost your eBay listings with Promoted Listings. Your promoted products can then boost traffic and sales to your entire inventory. Get busy sellers!
by Kathy Terrill | Feb 24, 2017 | eCommerce Tips
Sellers come to almost daily and say, “Kathy my eBay item isn’t showing up well in search, what can I do?”
My answer is simple, “Let’s get to work”
#1 way to get better search results on eBay is write a great title.
Whether your shopper is on mobile or desktop, your eBay item’s title is one of the first thing your potential buyer sees. Your title is important to your buyer and important for good eBay and Google search results. Have you chosen the best keywords for your product? The best keywords clearly identify what you’re selling. The words that matter here are your brand. color, size, distinctive patterns and the like. Take a minute and look at your item. If you wanted to buy this item, what words would you be using in searching the internet to find it? Use those words. This video will show you how to use eBay search to quickly write eBay titles.
#2 way to improve your search results on eBay is fill in the item specifics.
Fill the item specifics in to the best of your ability. Fill in the MPNs, UPCs, brand, color, size , country of manufacture, leading role etc depending on the item you are selling and the category you are selling in. If you have the UPC for your item and you leave it blank or use the drop down menu does not apply, the seller that does fill in the UPC has given eBay search more structured data information than you. Is there a place to chose the color of your item? If yes, chose the best color, blue, pink etc. Again the seller that takes the time to fully fill in item specifics is giving more search data to eBay. Filling in the item specifics gives eBay and Google search vital information to help your item in search.
#3 way to improve your search results on eBay is take clear, crisp pictures.
Your customer cannot hold and touch the item you’re selling. Your pictures literally put your item in your customer’s hand. Show them every angle of your product. Include pictures of any flaws on the item. You do not need to buy expensive photography equipment to take clear pictures that are in focus. Most smartphones have great cameras. Pictures are important now for the shopping experience on eBay and will grow as an essential part of eBay search. eBay‘s CEO Devin Wenig spoke to this in a recent article for CNET. “We’re doing a lot of work on image recognition. Computers are getting really good at recognizing things. We’re not that far away from a future where you’ll just do this. [Wenig picks up his phone and acts out taking photos of a pen in front of him.] You’ll just take a picture of that and we’ll match it through AI to our catalogue, we’ll know exactly what that pen is. And we’ll say, do you wanna sell it? We can get you five bucks right now for that pen.” In short, pictures matter.
#4 way to improve in search is to use eBay’s paid search service Promoted Listings.
eBay offers it’s eBay store owners an effective way to promote qualifying listings through it’s paid Promoted Listings program. Through Promoted Listings sellers create Promoted Listing campaigns and chose the advertising rate they will pay eBay IF the product sells directly through Promoted Listings. A seller ONLY pays eBay the Promotion fee is the item sells from a click through Promoted Listings campaigns. Sellers do not pay for clicks with no sales. Nor do sellers pay for listing impressions. Many sellers note an increase in sales to the overall category in their eBay store that has Promoted Listings, and increased sales store wide. Promoted Listings can have the effect of increasing overall traffic to an eBay‘s sellers store. Currently Promoted Listings are only available to eBay store owners with multi quantity items. There is a Beta test going on for unique one of a kind items. To be considered for this Beta test go to Promoted Listings under the Marketing Tab in your eBay Seller Hub dashboard. You must apply to be considered. To apply go to Promoted Listings in Seller Hub. It’s under your Marketing tab
CLICK it . Find “Give us feedback”.
Give Us Feedback in Promoted Listings Dashboard
It’s all the way to right of the page in Promoted Listings. Click it. Say something like ” Hi I’d like to be in your beta test for one of a kind items.”
According to my eBay contact, ” from the time the seller sends us the request to be considered for the beta group, it may take up to a week to get added to beta. We will confirm via email once they are accepted. They can share this info with their friends/colleague. However, we cannot guarantee that everyone will be accepted.”
#5 way to improve in search is to research.
eBay is a competitive market place. When you first listed your item a month ago or a year ago the prevailing price may have been XXX but now its Z. You can wait and see if prices change, or you can change your listing for the current market and get the sale. eBay’s advanced search can give you short term sales data. For more in depth and detailed information professional sellers look to Terapeak.
Cleaning up your title and/or pictures can get your better search results on eBay. If an item qualifies using eBay‘s Promoted Listings is a great way to get a boost for your listings and your eBay store. Make sure to stay abreast of marketplace changes in prices with Terapeak.
I’ve made a special FREE How To Dominate eBay Search Tip Sheet for you to use. It has powerful eBay search tips you can use with or without an eBay store.Gain instant access by clicking HERE.
NOW is the time for YOU to stand out in eBay search!
