Ebay: 5 sales strategies for auctions

There are numerous sales strategies for eBay that allow you to earn more at auctions and market your products better. In this practical tip, we explain 5 simple sales strategies for the online auction house.

1. Products for worldwide online shopping

Ebay is not only available in Germany. You should bear this in mind when specifying in which countries the auction should be available.

• Offer your articles worldwide. In addition to a German description, you can also write it in English.
• High shipping costs are incurred, but these are usually paid for by the buyer of the item.
• You should also accept PayPal as payment methods because this is one of the simplest international payment methods. In addition, PayPal protects the buyer and seller, so that the chance for a successful, joint business increases.

2. The end of the auction

When placing your items on eBay as an auction, you should choose the right time for the auction to end:

• Many users bid again shortly before the end of an auction.
• Therefore, the end should be while your target group is sitting on the computer or smartphone. At midnight is therefore an unfavorable time.
• Good times to run an auction are Friday and Sunday evenings from 5 to 9 p.m. But be careful: at soccer games, eBayers also sit in front of the TV.

3. Start with a low price

The starting price of an auction is crucial: some just rummage on eBay to get a bargain.

• With a low starting price, you attract more potential customers.
• A starting price of 1 euro is often a good idea, as you usually avoid the fees. For items with a very high value, such as expensive electronic items, you should, however, specify a higher starting price, otherwise the auction can drag on unnecessarily.
• Tip: With the free software Baywotch you can search for other auctions and make sure which prices other users could achieve in comparable auctions and whether the 1 euro auction is worthwhile.

4. How to find your auction

eBay offers many categories in which you can sort your item. The user will find your product when looking for such an article.

• Think about which category you would search for your item in. The more specific these are, the better your offer will be found more often.
• For example, if you sell a pair of shoes, you should also choose the category according to the shoe size, brand and type of shoes.
• The title of your auction is also important. The more keywords you have in your title, the faster your offer will be found via a search query. However, be careful not to simply "clap" the headline with keywords.
• Name your auction, for example, "Samsung printer (b / w) SCX 3400 - WLAN / Laser / Scan". Here the potential buyer immediately recognizes which product it is and at the same time receives the not unimportant information that the printer supports WLAN, laser printing and scanning.

5. Make your offer tasty

An important part of your offer is the description. Take a few minutes and describe your article exactly:

• When describing the item, you should provide as much detail as possible. If questions remain unanswered, this discourages many customers. The inhibition threshold to ask questions directly to the dealer is very high in Germany.
• Pay attention to correct spelling and grammar. Otherwise your product may not be found and professionals will take advantage of it to buy bargains. In addition, you should indicate for new goods whether they are still in their original packaging ("still sealed" for books).
• Even self-shot pictures of your article are particularly important. As a rule, customers recognize the professional images (e.g. from Google) and miss an image of the true condition of the product. Your own pictures look authentic and you should not use pictures from the Internet either way, as these are protected by copyright and you make yourself punishable for their further use for commercial use.
• Style is also important: format the product description and use symbols, bullets and various fonts and colors.
• Defects: Defects are normal for used products - you should also name them precisely. How to avoid complaints in advance.