Tips to a Friend

I haven't posted in awhile so I thought I would just cut and paste a question and response from a friend.

How are you? I know you do ebay...I never win my bid. I am new at this. Help! I tried to sell a really nice coach pink bag, I bought because I thought it was the same one I had,it is huge. I am bidding on a few things now but need need help. Thanks

Oh, that's a few good hours to tell you how to sell things. So many people ask me I started a blog but I haven't really done enough work on it to recommend it yet.
One thing is for sure - people do not buy expensive items that have a lot of fakes from buyers with low feedback (ie designer purses). So if your fdbk is under 100 or even under 500-1000 for Coach, you will either not be able to sell your item or get a much lower bid than an established seller. Plus there is the whole marketing aspect. There are tens of thousands of purses being sold with Coach as possibly the most popular. For buyers to pull up your item when they are searching requires knowledge in online marketing. The key is the title being used specifically for search words. Forget 'pretty, LOOK, and, with' and don't use commas, apostraphes or other punctuation. For a purse you want to use all the words people call them: shouder bag handbag purse and then the type: Tote, Hobo, Clutch. For newer Coach you would include the style # in the title. Use all of the spaces provided. Don't worry if the title doesn't make sense. It does not have to read like a sentance. There are certain words that the abbreviations will pull up the item even when someone searchs uses the full word - like VTG for vintage but only in a vintage category. This helps you squeeze in a few more words.
There are a lot of tips and tricks. There are others things like timing, placement, start prices, shipping costs and that is just to get them to look. Then your description and pictures have to convince them to buy. Check out my Coach bag I have listed as an example of description for that type of item. It is much more detailed then when I am selling a tank top. I have one listed that I really want to keep so it is over priced. If I sell it for that price fine, otherwise I want to keep it. However, you can get some ideas regarding pics, title and description.
You need to start by selling low-priced items that are easy for you to ship. Used clothes are the best to start. Forget children's clothes. It is hard to even get a $1 and you end up paying more in fees when you include the ones that don't sell so you lose money. The best option for children's clothes is to do a lot of all one size and gender. You still won't get much but it controls the fees from selling them individually. You can build up your feedback which increases buyer's trust and also gain the knowledge needed before selling things with a lot of competition, expensive items, items you are not as familiar with compared to other sellers (vintage, antiques, jewelry)and items hard to ship which often leads to under quoting shipping costs and losing money.

As far as buying.. bidding as soon as you see an item is a newbie mistake. You can watch the item. But for me I always forget to go back and place a bid before it closes. If I am buying a book or shipping supplies it is not an issue and I just use the Buy it Now or place the maximum bid I want to pay. However, if I am buying a Coach bag or a pair of $200 jeans, I don't want to get in a bidding war. In these cases, I prefer to use a bidding service that will place my bid just before closing. You can usually use the service a few times for free. Here is one: http://www.auctionsniper.com/

Well, I could go on and on.

Shipping Services

For most items, the U.S. post office will offer the lowest cost and often most convenient shipping services.

If you have very large, heavy, and/or odd-shaped items, it is advisable to check the services of other transit companies like UPS, FedEx, DLS and any regional services you can find. Make sure to verify the measurements, weight as packaged to ship, and if it is odd sized. There can be substantial surcharges if the item is a nonstandard shape or oversize. There are even surcharges for large items that do not meet a minimum weight. Try not to estimate the packaged weight. Underestimating can cause substantial differences in the shipping charged and the actual cost. You do not need to package it. Just weigh the item, and packaging material required, and add them together. Make sure the box is the correct size and sturdy enough for the weight and fragility of the item you are shipping. Consider if double boxing is required and what type of protection will be required to prevent damage from crushing or moving around in the box. Bubble wrap, peanuts, and air pillows reduce shipping costs but you usually need to purchase them. Sometimes it is a cost savings to use newspaper, tissue, or other supplies on hand and pay higher shipping fees rather than purchasing the materials.

For items you do not want to attempt shipping, then you can offer them for local pick-up only. Post them to other boards like craigslist.com. Yet, even if you have them listed on Craig’s list, you can still list the same item on eBay. Just make sure and note in the listing the item is for sale elsewhere and subject to possible sell before the item ends. If you do sell the item using a forum other than eBay, make sure and end your item on eBay. You do not want to sell something you no longer own. When using local pick-up only, I usually list the item in my store only. Due to the limited buyers within driving distance it usually does not justify the cost of sending it to auction
You can sell cars, machinery and other high-priced, large items on auction and offer pick-up only. It is advisable to use auction listings for items that the buyer is willing to drive a greater distance or pay a third party to arrange shipping. If you are selling your basketball hoop or dog kennel, then you might want to list it in your store inventory with local pick-up only. See paragraph above.

eBay Holiday Shopping

At the beginning of December go to the post office website, usps.com, to verify the last day shipments can be mailed to reach customers by the 25th using First Class, Parcel Post and Priority Shipping options for domestic shipping.

Make sure your items that weight more than 13 ozs., and cannot be sent by First Class Mail, end prior to the deadline for parcel shipping. Do the same for the First Class Mail deadline and in the last week of shopping make sure everything in your store ends in time to ship it by the Priority deadline.

You may want to hide your store inventory if you do not make changes to all your inventory shipping options. You can hide your inventory items, and keep your auctions active, by setting your store to vacation mode. This is found in the Managing Your Store section.

Dress Measurements

When listing a dress include the following measurements:
Length: from shoulder seam to hemline. If the hem is varied provide a range.
Bust: measure across from under the armpit seams and double. Do not stretch.
Waist: usually the smallest width area between the bust and hips
Hips: usually at the end of the zipper. Measure seam to seam and double
Sleeve Inseam: measure the inside seam to the sleeve hemline.

If it has a tapered hemline then include the width at the hemline.
If is a tank dress include the width of the strap

eBAY HOLIDAY PREPARATIONS

Ideally you want to be building your inventory all year. Any items that don't sell on auction should be relisted in your store. Starting in October, or at least November, you should focus on preparing for the holidays.
Order your shipping supplies and review what you are going to sell.

From Thanksgiving, until the last shipping date to arrive by the 25th, almost all your time will be spent on shipping and maintaining your listings.

However, if you get a late start do not worry. You can still actively list new items. Your volume should still be higher for most categories than the rest of the year.

JEANS & PANTS MEASUREMENTS, MEASURING TO LIST OR BUY

HOW TO MEASURE JEANS AND PANTS TO BUY OR LIST ON eBAY


Measuring Guidelines
Jean sizing varies by designer. It is recommended you also review measurements.

Waist and hip measurements can vary, in the same size jeans, based on where the pants sit. (high-waisted to super-low rise). To compare a pair of pants on eBay to a pair you own, match the rise first. When you find a pair you own with the matching rise measurement, then compare the hip and waist measurements to see if the fit is the same. Lastly, check the inseam length to verify a correct fit.

Many designers and boutique lines are labeling the fit of their pants by a style name. Become familiar with the fit you like and the corresponding names for the designers you prefer. The usual differences are where the jeans fit in relation to the waist and hips (low rise, mid-rise), the hip and leg fit (straight, skinny, loose, relaxed) and the leg opening (Boot Cut, flare, tapered).


How to Measure
Rise: Start at the center seam where the legs meet. Measure the distance to the top of the waistband. Note the length to the bottom of the waistband and including the waistband.

Hips: Fold the pants over at the end of the zipper. Measure the back width at the fold. Double the measurement.

Inseam: Measure from where the legs meet to the end of the inside-pant leg.

Leg Opening: Is the bottom of the leg, measured across

Thigh: Measure and double the widest point of the thigh area of the leg.

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/WANDERLUST-BARGAINS

5 Free Listings a Month

Did you know that eBay waives the listing fee on the first 5 listings a month?

This is a great way to start selling without worrying about incurring fees without any sales.

If you are already selling on eBay, it is an opportunity to save money on listing more expensive items.