ebay Seller's Tips

32-Page ebay Buyer's Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Camping with Gus) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:59:00 +0000

ebay Buyer's Guide - A Free ebay Auction Give-Away

This file is a PDF eBook. It is already hosted for you.

You can view it and save it to your computer with this link:
http://sites.google.com/site/gawickham/ATD_Free_Buyers_Guide_current.pdf?attredirects=0

You can also use the above link as the give-away link, but it is recommended that you give it away using this landing page link:
http://sites.google.com/site/gawickham/home

Here is the eBook image link:
http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/3/6/1/9/4/1/webimg/132119276_o.jpg

Related posts: Auction Listings That Sell!
    How to Write Auction Listings
                        How To Write Auction TOS

Appletreedeals on ebay

Like this? Tweet it with one click here!

ebay Buyer's Guide - A Free ebay Auction Give-Away

noreply@blogger.com (Camping with Gus) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 03:15:00 +0000

ebay Buyer's Guide - A Free ebay Auction Give-Away

Everybody likes to get free stuff, so why not offer your ebay auction listing visitors a free ebay Buyer's Guide as a bonus just for viewing your listings.

A potential buyer has clicked on your ebay auction listing; they saw the basic details: current bid, time left, and shipping costs, and they are heading to your item description with one of two things in mind - the current bid is within their price range, and they want the item details to see if they want to bid on it, or, the current bid is too high and they want to see why it is so expensive.

Successful ebay sellers know that a good ebay auction listing is more than just a bare-bones list of the item details. A good item description should include sales pitches and motivators that call for action now, but all that effort is useless if buyers don't read your item descriptions, or read them in a negative light.

At this moment you have an opportunity to start them off on a positive note. To put them in a more receptive frame of mind as they read your item description, and also to help encourage them to read all of your item description details. Which gives your included sales pitches a chance to work. Offer them something free just for viewing your listing.

The Free ebay Buyer's Guide is a 32-page PDF eBook for new ebayers. It includes information about:

Scams, rip-offs, and bad deals. Know what to avoid
Search...How to find what you are looking for
The Items... Know what you are looking at
Total Costs... Know you final 'delivered to you' cost
The Seller... Know who you are buying from!
Bidding... Ok, I'm ready, now how do I bid?
Payment... You won! Now how do you pay for it?
Problems... Uh Oh! This is a problem, now what?
Avoid those scams and rip-offs
Links... all the basic links you need to start!

You can put the offer at the top of your item description with a link to get it at the bottom of your description. Something like this:

"Free Bonus - Just For Viewing My Auction Listing!"

"Get your free copy of The 32-page ebay Buyer's Guide"

"Just click on the link after my item description"

(see also: Auction Listings That Sell!)

It's a safe bet that now they will be reading your item description in a more positive frame of mind as they anticipate finding the free link at the bottom.

Hopefully, as an experienced ebay seller you have been using an auto-responder to build a customer list, and you can use your own opt-in form at the end of the item description, and your auto-response email will include the link to the free ebook.

But ... if you are not using an auto-responder, then you can use a 'clickable' hyperlink to give them the free ebook. Something like this:

Click here for your free ebay Buyer's Guide

*(this is the free download landing page - check it out)

* (information links are allowed in ebay auction listings)

Here are the links and html code to use:

Download landing-page link: (use as direct hyperlink or in auto-response)

http://sites.google.com/site/gawickham/home

Direct PDF link to use with your auto-responder:

http://sites.google.com/site/gawickham/ATD_Free_Buyers_Guide_current.pdf?attredirects=0

eBook Image link:

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/3/6/1/9/4/1/webimg/132119276_o.jpg

html code for 'clickable' ebook image:

(L)a href="http://sites.google.com/site/gawickham/home"(R)(L)img border="0" src="http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/3/6/1/9/4/1/webimg/132119276_o.jpg" /(R)(L)/a(R)

Note: replace the (L) with the left carat, and the (R) with the right carat in the above code to make it work

html code for 'clickable' text link:

(L)a href="http://sites.google.com/site/gawickham/home"(R)Click here for your free ebay Buyer's Guide(L)/a(R)
Note: replace the (L) with the left carat, and the (R) with the right carat in the above code to make it work

I hope you find this information helpfull. Feel free to contact me if you need more details.

Related posts: Auction Listings That Sell!
    How to Write Auction Listings
                        How To Write Auction TOS

Appletreedeals on ebay

Like this? Tweet it with one click here!

ebay Auction Listings - When is the Best Time to List Yours

noreply@blogger.com (Camping with Gus) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:40:00 +0000

ebay Auction Listings - When is the Best Time to List Yours?

We all know that ending your ebay auctions at the right time can make a huge difference in the final price. Or even whether your listing sells or not. "What is the best time to end my ebay auction listings?", is a question every ebay seller asks, and you don't need a crystal ball to get the answer.

The simple answer is ... it depends. Of course that is not what ebay sellers want to hear.
They want the answer, without any work. They want the clouds to part, and a booming voice from the mountain declareing; "Sunday, 7:16 PST, is the time ye must end thine ebay auction listings!" And that may very well be an optimum time for a lot of ebay sellers. It may even be the right time for you, but it also might be the worst time to end a listing. As an ebay seller, just a little thought, and a few test auctions can give you the answer you need.

There has been tons of research on this question, both by big dogs, like ebay itself, and little guys, like individual sellers. And the general consensus is Sunday evening around 7pm is the best ending time for most sellers. But is it the best time for you? Here's how you find out.

Who is your buyer? What is your target market for your auction item listings? Figuring out who your customer is will also tell you the probable best times to end your ebay listings.

Selling office or business supplies - auction listings ending before 5pm Monday through Thursday might be your best bet. If your bidder is buying for the office, then they will be checking the listings during office hours. Maybe ...
Baby and kid's stuff - mid-afternoon auction endings when mom has a break while kids nap or before they get home from school
Teenagers and young adults - mid-evenings Sunday through Thursdays - *note - be sure not to schedule endings when major events or popular TV shows like Lost or Wired are on.

There are many more examples of time vs. customer relationships, but the point is to consider who might be most interested in your auction listing items, and then determine when they most likely will be available to follow the ending of your auctions.

It is very important that your auctions end when potential buyers are available to follow the bidding process and place last minute bids. Today's auction bidders are much more savvy about the auction process, they know not to bid until the last possible moment so as not to drive up the price, or attract attention from other bidders that may also be interested in your item.

Another way to get an idea about the optimum time to end your ebay auctions is to check-out your competition. Search for items similar to yours and identify the most successful sellers. Check out their past sales, see when they ended their auctions. Sometimes you will get lucky and find multiple auctions for items like yours and you can look for the poor performers too. Look at their auction listings and ending times for examples of what not to do.

Once you have an idea of what may be the best ending times for you, it's time to do a little testing. Run one auction to end at the time you think will be best for your potential buyers, and then run another identical auction ending at your second choice for ending times. The results will give you an idea of which time was better suited to your buyers.

Just a little research of past auctions on ebay can help you determine what may be the best time to end your ebay auction listings.

Like this? Tweet it with one click here!

Appletreedeals is an ebay seller and affiliate marketer and he
also uses Hubpages articles to send buyers to his listings.

.

Get ebay Buyers to Your ebay Auctions Online , A Hubpages Hub

noreply@blogger.com (Camping with Gus) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:31:00 +0000

Get ebay buyers to your ebay auctions online with a Hubpages Hub.

One of your main goals as an ebay seller is to get people to click on your ebay store, or visit your ebay auction. Selling things to ebay buyers can be profitable, but you have to get them to your listings first. Unless you have the most unique item in the whole world, that everyone must have, you need to do more than just wait for ebay buyers to find you when they search for something.

One way to do this is to go off-site and direct buyers to your ebay auction or ebay store. Traditionally, savvy sellers have been posting on blogs and in forums, leaving their hyperlink signature behind, as a way for readers to click-through to their auctions or store. But, there is another way, one that search engines love – short articles.

Content articles related to your items can be anything from a product review or how-to article, to interesting articles in essay or pictorial form. It can even be as simple as a short bio for one of your listed items. And you can put links in these articles. A big benefit of using this method is
that if you join eBay’s affiliate program, you can actually get paid by using links to send buyers to your own listings.

There are a lot of link sites on the 'net' that give you the opportunity reach ebay buyers off-site, and get them to your listings using links in your articles. One of the ones I’ve been using that has proven very effective is HubPages,

Hubpages is a great way to do this; they allow you to create your own reviews or articles, actually 1-page mini-web sites, like this one about espresso makers, about things that relate to you and your ebay items or your ebay store. It's free and it's not hard to learn how to use their tools to create short articles related to your ebay listings, or articles that have links to the other things you do to make money online.

HubPages is serious about unique content articles, they quickly bust spammers, (so don’t try that route), and because of their original content, Google Search loves them and gives them good pagerank and a lot of weight to their out-going links.

Here are some examples of different types of content articles you can use:

· An article about products you sell that can have links back to your items. Buy Chicago Bears Tickets, Hats, and Jerseys on ebay.

· A how-to article that can contain both ebay auction links, (this one is directed at Amazon, but it could be ebay instead) and hyperlinks back to other sites or listings. How to build a campfire designed for your camp recipes.

· A product review article that compares products that you sell. Buy home espresso machines or espresso coffee makers online

The list of choices goes on, but you can see for yourself by checking out this author's hubpages, or even get your own Hubpages account if you want.

Like this? Tweet it with one click here!

Appletreedeals is an ebay seller and affiliate marketer and he
also uses Hubpages articles to send buyers to his listings.

.

How to write your Terms of Service for auction listings.

noreply@blogger.com (Camping with Gus) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:30:00 +0000

How to write your Terms of Service for auction listings(TOS)

Your terms of service (TOS) are an important part of your ebay, (or any service), sales plan. Your "TOS" will tell your buyers what you expect from them, and what they can expect from you. A well written Terms Of Sservice will give your buyers confidence in their transactions with you, a badly written TOS could send them running away.

Your TOS should cover these main areas of your policies:

Payment: how you want to be paid, when you want to be paid, and what payment methods you accept.

Shipping: How you ship, and when you ship, and any other specific shipping details

Returns: Do you accept them, and how do you accept them.

Problems: If there are any problems, how do you handle them.

Your terms of service will tell your buyer the "rules of the game" when dealing with you. You want your TOS to be clear and short, and friendly. Put yourself in the buyers shoes. Would you rather deal with some that writes; "Bid with confidence - Returns accepted", or someone who says "No returns ever - all sales final no matter what"?

The point is, you need the buyer to have a clear understanding of how you do business, but you don't want to scare them to death with threats, restrictions, and paragraphs of small print.

Let's look at some good and not-so good examples for each area.

Payment:
Your buyer needs to know when and how to pay you. Yes, there really are bidders that won't pay until they have to. Some think it's normal to bid, win, and then wait 10 days to pay.
Good:
All Payments accepted through PayPal, including eChecks and Credit cards. Please pay within 3 days of 'won' auction. (*you can include other payment methods you accept)

Bad: Auctions must be paid within 3 days of winning auction. PayPal only! If you don't pay within 3 days I will re-list item, leave negative feedback, and file a non-paying bidder report with ebay.

Put yourself in the buyers place and think about that "BAD" payment example. You have threatened them, and given them a restricted way to pay you. (even if you only want PayPal payments you could say it nicely, like: "Payment through PayPal only please")

Now about those "threats".

if your winning bidder doesn't pay, you will either offer the item as a second-chance to another bidder or re-list it anyway. So what good does it do to tell the bidder that? If you are trying to motivate them, threats are the worst way.

negative feedback? This statement can really back-fire on you. If it's a 'sketchy' bidder, they won't care, and will probably leave you negative feedback first. If it's a legitimate bidder, now you've threatened them and they are probably afraid to deal with such a "meany" as you. Plus, you can't even leave negative feedback for buyers anymore.

What about that NPB report to ebay? Are you really going to do that without trying to communicate with your buyer? You have to do that anyway in the NPB process, so all you have accomplished is making yourself look bad and probably scaring away most bidders who want a pleasant transaction instead of a "Marching orders" purchase.

Shipping:
Good: All items will be shipped to confirmed shipping address within 3 business days of payment. Delivery confirmation/tracking number will be emailed to you. Primary shipping is USPS. Domestic USA addresses only please.
*Note: I made no mention of shipping insurance because beginning in October '09, ebay will
no longer allow seller's to specifically charge the buyer for shipping insurance. I will
talk more on this after the "BAD" example.

**Note again: You can add more data, like all shipping insured, or offer other shipping
methods, or even offer accommodations for international shipping. Include
all details pertinent to your shipping process, but remember to keep it as
short and friendly as you can.
Bad:
I only ship by USPS on Thursdays. You must have a confirmed PayPal address. I will not ship internationally so don't ask. Insurance is buyer's responsibility, and I am not responsible for any lost or damaged shipments after they have been shipped.

Now doesn't that seller's policies make you feel "warm and fuzzy"? He's doing you a favor even shipping your item to you. Yes, you really will see many seller's that have shipping statements just like that.

Let's look at it:

USPS only? That may be true, but the way it's stated, it gives the buyer the impression that the seller won't even consider other methods. What if it's a special need? Wouldn't you want your buyer to think they could at least ask? Again, this example starts by making the buyer feel restricted to the seller's way or no way.

Only ship on Thursday? This is not a serious seller, but what if the seller really can only ship on Thursdays, why not make it sound as positive as possible. Like maybe: All items are bulk-shipped every Thursday. Or, Primary Shipping on Thursdays.

"You must have a confirmed PayPal address" There you go again, MUST is a restrictive word. Yes, all seller's want to ship to "confirmed" addresses for two main reasons: it covers us under PayPay's Seller protection program, and it assures us there is less chance we are being scammed, but there is a more neutral way of saying this, like; "all orders shipped to confirmed addresses", or "speedy shipping to your registered PayPal Address". Also, what if you are dealing with someone who has a new PayPal account and their address hasn't been confirmed yet? Do you want to automatically exclude these buyers? Or wouldn't it be smarter to leave yourself a little "wiggle" room to communicate with a new buyer to decide for yourself if you want to ship to an unconfirmed address?

"Insurance is buyer's responsibility", this is a soon-to-be moot point. ebay is changing policy on this and seller's will no longer be able to "specifically" charge buyers for insurance.

"Not responsible for items after they are shipped", this is either an ill-informed seller, or one you don't want to deal with, period! Under ebay's seller agreement that all sellers must agree to, it is very clear that it is the seller's responsibility to get the item into the buyers hands in good condition. Anything that happens before that is the seller's responsibility!

Returns: Whether to accept returns is a seller's choice. I think it is necessary for buyer's confidence, and most successful retailers agree, but your items, or your sales model, may not be suitable for returns.

If you do not accept returns, say it politely, and perhaps include a reason.

item sold as-is no returns

clearance item, not returnable

this is a no-return item, please check photos and description carefully

If you do accept returns your policies should be clear.

what kind of return? Full refund, full refund minus fees, exchange only?

is there a return time limit? Who pays return shipping?

This is the return policy I use:
"Bid with Confidence, 100% satisfaction Guarantee!"
If we made a mistake, we will offer a full 100% refund, or free item replacement, your choice.
If you made a mistake, we will offer a purchase price refund minus shipping cost and seller's fees.
Please notify us within 3 days of receipt if you would like to request a refund or exchange.

Problems:
Don't threaten the buyer with "reports, neg. Feedback, or any other retaliatory actions.
Let them know how to communicate with you to resolve any issues that may arise.

To use ebay's problem resolution process you will be required to go through a buyer/seller communication procedure, so threats only hurt you.

A reassuring statement is the best way to state your procedures;

"If you have any questions, problems, or issues, please contact us so we can make sure you are satisfied."

That's it. Just keep your TOS short and friendly, and your buyers won't feel leery of dealing with you. And both sides will know the ground rules.

You can check out my auctions on ebay to see the TOS I use.
Just search for Seller Appletreedeals

Like this? Tweet it with one click here!

Appletreedeals is an ebay seller and affiliate marketer and he
also uses Hubpages articles to send buyers to his listings.

.

How to write an ebay Auction Listing - Item Description

noreply@blogger.com (Camping with Gus) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 19:12:00 +0000

How to write an ebay Auction Listing - Item Description

An ebay auction listing description section will not just describe your item, it should give your viewer reasons to buy! The item description should contain all details relevant to the item, and also key phrases that will motivate them to want to bid on or buy your item. The description layout should be easy to read, not so cluttered that the reader has to search for the details they need.
So let's start with; "In my opinion"

because even though I have a lot of ebay experience and sales, you can find hundreds of opinions and recommendations about what makes a good description. You have to absorb the info and use what works for you.

An auction listing description section should contain a mix of 4 main parts:

Item details - everything about the item, good and bad

sales pitch - tell them the benefits of buying this item

buyer motivators - give them reasons to bid or buy now

Start your description with a little sales pitch, then give them the details (the good ones), add a buying motivator, (like "It's a No-reserve auction"), a little more sales pitch, then the details that are not so good, (like flaws or problems) a closing motivator, and then your terms of service.

When considering the structure of your item description, remember you have to be a salesman, you are listing your auction because you want someone to buy something from you. Unless your item is the only one of it's kind in the world, and everyone is required to have one, then you need to use your item description section as your salesman for your item.

Let's look at some examples of the 4 main parts:

1. Item details

General - this would be things like; brand, new/used, color, size, works, etc., the basic idea of the item

Specific - the technical stuff like; serial/model #'s, megahertz/ohms, specific measurements, detailed description of aspects, etc.

Conditions - new/used, works/broken, mint, poor, etc.

provenance - where/how you got it, also authentication details

Flaws/drawbacks - doesn't work, broken thingie, faded, chipped, etc.

I like to start with the basic details first.

2. Sales Pitch - tell them the benefits of owning this item, or buying from you

Satisfaction Guaranteed

free shipping

labor saving

fills a need

better than the rest

be the new owner

one-of-a-kind

and so forth, any reason you can think of to tell them why they should buy your item

I like to start with a confidence builder; "100% Satisfaction Guarantee - Returns Accepted", so they're in a positive frame of mind as they read the rest of the description.

3. Buyer motivators - reasons to bid or buy now, and from you

last one

mint condition

no-reserve auction, high bidder will win this item

fast shipping

100% positive feedback

one-of-a-kind

gift wrap services

anything else you can think of that will convince the buyer to act now if they are interested.

You'll notice that frequently sales pitch statements are also buyer motivators.

4. Terms of service

Payment methods you accept

when payment is expected

how and when you ship

return policy

feedback policy

If you use an auction template that has sections for these items, it will follow your item description when someone is looking at your listing, but you still need to include brief recap statements in the item description because many buyers just skim through after they read the description details.

If you don't use a template with these sections, then you need to include complete descriptions of your terms of service in the item description section.

______________________________________________________________

Here's an example of how I would list a "widget":

(Bold is text of the listing, Normal is my explanation)
______________________________________________________________
Brand Name Red Widget Table Model 000000 New Case Inst
*Always repeat the listing title as the first line of your description, this helps you get better
ranking with search engines. (yes, search engines scan ebay listings too)
* Also note I used all 55 characters in the title with keyword search terms, no L@@k's,
W@W's, Rare's or other non-search terms

100% Satisfaction Guarantee - Returns Accepted
* All online buyers always have a degree of concerns when they are buying online. I offer this guarantee statement first to make them feel safer about buying from me while they are
looking at the rest of the listing description

Be sure to see more photos after description
* I use multiple photos, and the template I use puts 2 photos before description and the
rest after.

This is "Brand Name's" Widget Model #000000 carrying Case and instructions are included, good/neutral basic detail, - detail-detail, good/neutral basic detail, - detail-detail, good/neutral basic detail, - detail-detail, etc. etc. etc... until you finish the basic item details
*These would be the basic item details to tell the buyer about the item they are looking at.
I don't list all the details at once, I keep the data in small chunks. It makes the listing easier
to read, and directs the buyer to keep reading for more info.

*Now I would add a sales pitch/motivator statement to add a sense of urgency or "I can get this now" thoughts in the buyer's mind as they read on
This is a No-Reserve Auction, the High Bidder will be the new owner of this Widget.

or if you use buy-it-now you could say;

Just Click the "Buy-It-Now" button to be the lucky new owner of this widget

Now use a short paragraph describing the item:
This is "Brand Name"s" Widget is the latest model by this company. It includes all the extra features to to this or do that. The normal retail price is $000.00. This model was rated by consumer reports as tops in it's category in 2009. The finish is baked on for durability abd appearance. The side handles are bolted and riveted for strenght and safety. The included templates are adjustable for various widths and thicknesses. Altogether this new Brand name Widget is a 9-piece kit that includes a very sturdy carrying case. etc. etc. until you have painted a good mental picture of the item you are selling.
* This short paragraph describing your item helps the buyer get a mental picture of what
they are looking at, and it is also a place you could throw in another short sales pitch
statement, like...This is the complete set, or includes everything. It should also
include a "benefit" statement like; with this set you can...

Now I would use a 'stronger' sales pitch:
This would be a great addition for that special widget collector you know, (even if it's you)

Now for the specific details:

Model #:000000
Serial #:123456789
110 volts
weight: xxx lbs.
...until you finish the specifics

Now I would add a shipping motivator/sales pitch
Shipping is calculated for xxx lbs. to your postal code.
You can choose Parcel Post, Priority, or UPS Ground
No outrageous shipping Charges!

Condition: (this is where you would describe any flaws or problems)
This is a brand new widget that works great, but there is a small paint nick on the outer casing from improper storage on the store shelf.

or

this is a brand new widget that works great, but it does not include the manufacturer warranty.

*** It is very important to always be honest about any flaw/damage or defect about the
item. You can't get away with being dishonest about it because the buyer will
eventually find out when they receive the item, and then you will have a bigger
problem when they file a complaint.

But you don't have to list the defects in a bright red banner first, tainting the
buyers perception before they can get through the parts of the description that
allow you the chance to convince them they should buy. Be honest, but be smart!

Now you want to toss in another sales pitch/motivator to reinforce their need to buy now, and from you.
This widget would also make a great gift! (is that a birthday coming up?...hint...hint)

Now some short terms of service statements.
PayPal accepted within 3 days of auction end (*note the 3 day thing might seem a little terse, but it helps plant the thought of completeing the deal in the buyers mind)
Shipping Insurance is required
I will ship next business-day after payment is received
Returns accepted - contact us for authorization

You really should be using auction listing templates, and they will have individual sections for you to spell out your terms of service. If you don't, then you need to be more detailed in your terms of service in the item description.

*** Ok, you have created a good, complete item description that tells the buyer what they wanted to know about the item you're selling, now thank them and toss in some self-promotion!

Thanks for viewing my listing. If you have any questions, feel free to use the 'Ask Seller aquestion' Button at the top. I promise a fast response.

Be sure to check out my other listings, and remember my 'Lightning' fast shipping.

*** you can add links to your other listings or ebay store here.
___________________________________________________________

There, those are the basics, now a few style tips.

Be careful with 'Cute"! When a buyer clicks on your listing they are looking for information about the item that got their interest. They are NOT clicking to see how creative and artistic you are, and they are NOT clicking to see how many gimmicks and gadgets you can stick in each listing. It's great, and smart, to present your description in an attractive and easy to read format, (it doesn't have to look like a table of contents), and if an audio or video insert will help sell your item then do it, but glitzy, flashing, rotating, and other displays of HTML prowess are more distracting than helpful. And in many cases, experienced buyers will be turned off and 'click-out' quickly.

Did I mention not to get too Cute? Well don't.

Audio inserts. There are divided opinions about these. Some say that it's a bad thing, for instance; what if the buyer is at work and when they click on your listing the theme from Rocky starts playing? Might not be a good thing. On the other hand, depending on the item, and/or buyer, it might be helpful. Something to think about.

Terms of Service; You need terms of service, your buyers need to know what your expectations are, and what you will deliver to them, and they do need to be noted in the description because many times buyers either miss them, or don't take the time to look for your complete TOS after the description.

So that's it. Just remember your item description should be more than just a list of details, but less than a graphics exhibition. Put yourself in the buyers shoes... what are you looking for, and what would you consider the most professional way to present it?

Be sure to checkout Appletreedeals at Appletreedeals.com

or a complete directory of info at this lensography.

Like this? Tweet it with one click here!

Appletreedeals is an ebay seller and affiliate marketer and he
also uses Hubpages articles to send buyers to his listings.

.

How to write auction listings that sell

noreply@blogger.com (Camping with Gus) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:53:00 +0000

An ebay auction listing is how you sell your item on ebay. The most important parts of a good successful auction listing are the title and item description. But writing a good auction listing involves a lot more than saying what it is and how much you want for it. this is part 1 of a series on writing successful auction listings, be sure to follow up-coming posts for the rest of the series.

How to make listings that sell is NOT usually the first thought on a new seller's mind, but it should be! When you are writing a listing you need to think like a buyer:

why is the buyer looking at your listing

they need this product

they want this product

they're interested in this product

they like you as a seller

how did the buyer find your listing

they found you in a keyword search

your listing title stood out from the rest

they found you from an outside link

they're looking at all listings matching their search

they're browsing a category

what does the buyer want to know

what is it, what is the price

what's the item condition (new, used, mint, poor, etc.)

item details (color, material, size, etc. ... whatever applies to the item)

anything wrong with it

how much will it cost to get it (shipping, handling, anything in addition to the price)

details, details, details! (What would you want to know if you were buying it?)

what does the buyer expect to get

What you said it was, for the price you said it would be!

No problems! A deal is a deal, and when they bid on or bought your item, they made a deal with you.

When you are writing your listing there are no buyers to answer these questions for you, so you have to put yourself in the buyer's shoes and guess. But you can make it an educated guess based on:

what type of item you are listing

a collectible

a commodity

a consumable

a gift

a service

what the item's usage or purpose is

is it decorative

does it do something

does it provide something

is it durable, (lasting) or consumable (use it up and it's gone)

what your previous selling experience is

have you sold similar items, do you have a sales history

have you research other people's sales of this item, or it's type

your knowledge of the item and/or it's category (ie. collectible, consumable, etc.)

are you an expect on this item, or it's category

do you know a lot about it

how the buyer will use it

your research on this item

Ok, those are the basic thoughts that you should be considering before you start writing your listing.

Now the basic parts of your listing.

The Title - this is your first chance to get the buyer's attention

use keywords that match your item, if you were searching for your item, what words would you type into the search bar? But don't use keywords that don't apply to the item or will mis-lead the buyer. It's an ebay violation, and will 'tick-off' the buyer.

Make your title standout in the list of search results. There are several FREE ways to do this; you can do all caps, or all cap the first couple words, or cap any brand names in the title, or any variation of this. But don't get too cute, like aLtErNaTinG caps OR doing EVERY other WORD, etc., you can see how bad that looks here, and it looks unprofessional in your title too.

use all 55 letters in your title, this is your chance to use the words that the buyer will search for to find you, so use all the space ebay allows

Don't get too cute! (notice a reoccurring concept here?), DO NOT USE; Wow, W@W, LQQK, Great Deal, very rare, etc. etc. etc.... it looks chintzy, and nobody puts those words in their search terms. Don't waste the space! Unless the bid price is so low I can't ignore it, I never click on those kind of listing titles. And ebay research says most buyers won't either

2. Category, this should be obvious, find the right category for the type of item you are
listing. You wouldn't want to list a collectible china item in a how-to-lose-weight
category. Some buyers restrict their searches to particular categories, so your item needs
to be in the right one.

use the main category that best describes your item

research completed auctions for items like yours that sold successfully - check the category it was listed in

3. Description, this is a biggiee... I'll do a whole post on listing descriptions, so look for it.
but in a nutshell:

include all the details you have - what would you want to know?

include any flaws - the buyer will see them anyway, and will be ticked-off if you didn't tell them about them, and you'll have a problem

be honest, don't try to mis-lead the buyer

don't get cute! buyers are looking for reasons to buy, not displays of your artistic abilities

4. Pictures, another biggiee... and another detailed post, but here are the basics:

yes, you must have a picture, at least a gallery picture, or buyers probably won't even click on your listing

no, you don't have to be a photo expert, a better picture is always...well...better, but the basics just need to be a clear picture that foucus's on your item, with good lighting, and as little clutter as possible. Of course you could spend a lot of time editing your photos to rival national magazine quality, go for it, but sometimes "more isn't better, it's just more"

do not use ebay picture service or listers for multiple photos in your listings. ebay charges you for extra pictures, and there are lots of free photo hosting sites, and listing sites too!, that you can use to include almost as many photos as you want in your listings.

if there are flaws or problems with the item, try to include photos that show it.

digital cameras are very inexpensive now, (I'm talking used on ebay in the $30.00 range) so go ahead and get one if you plan to continue on ebay. If this is a one-shot deal for you, than just borrow one from a friend.

5. Price: it's a risk thing. What risk are you willing to take that your item will sell for less
than you want to sell it for?

Low starting bids get the most attention, (meaning more bidders) and if your item has true value, the final bids will almost always be a fair value for the item, but there is the risk that your listing does not generate buyer interest and your item could sell to the lone bidder for that low starting price.

fair value starting bids guarantee you a fair price for your item, IF it sells, IF a buyer or buyers check out your listings from their search results. Most ebay buyers are looking for bargains, so they will check out listings they perceive to be a great deal before they get around to checking the 'just good' deals.

reserve price listings, this is where you start the bidding at a low price but set a minimum amount you will actually sell the item for. Most buyers don't like reserve price listings, they think if you have a minimum you'll accept, just start the bidding there.

6. How long to list for, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days

take your pick, 7 days is the most used because it allows the optimum time for buyers to find your listings, but you can use 3 or 5 days if you want a quick sale or think there is a lot of market place interest in your item, and 10 days if you want even more exposure time, but ebay charges extra for the 10 day listing.

Ok that will get you started, there will be more posts on this subject so stay tuned.

Check out Appletreedeals ebay listings

Web Hosting Plans for your Web Site

noreply@blogger.com (Camping with Gus) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:39:00 +0000

How to pick a web site hosting plan.

In today's web hosting market, hosting companies offer their hosting services in bundles they call plans. Hosting a website requires some basic features or services that you must have; like code protocols, platform formats, and data usage, some that it would be nice to have; like email accounts, ecommerce functions, image storage, and visitor upload/download capabilities, and some that are 'bells and whistles' that will make your website better or easier to use or maintain.

Of course the very first, and most basic question is; What do you want your website to do?

Then, before you pick a web hosting plan for your new website you must decide two more very basic questions; What type of web site will it be, and what do you want it to do? There are many sub-levels to these questions, but you must have answers for them first.

What kind of website do you want?

personal or business

provide information, services, or make money

2. What type of website

blog

article content

landing page (a page your visitor has been sent to)

ecommerce

function/action (performs a function or action when the visitor arrives, like re-direct to another site or start a download)

variation or combination of all the above

When you have those questions answered, you have to decide how your website will be built;

a 3rd party format like WordPress, or a 'branded' site builder program

a generic site builder available from the hosting service company

built-from-scratch HTML coding

Once you have these answers you can start looking at hosting plans. (obviously you can ignore any plans that don't provide needed services your answers have identified)

How much email, storage, bandwidth, etc. do I need?

There is a group of features that most web hosting plans will offer as unlimited;

Data storage - this is the amount of their disk space your website files use, yours will be small at first, but will grow as your site grows, so unlimited is a good thing

Bandwidth - this how much of their internet access resources your website uses in file transfers and visitor traffic, so again, the more the better, even if you don't need it now.

Email accounts - unlimited is great, but as a start-up, odds are you will only use a few email accounts, and you would have to grow to the size of IBM to even need 2500, so this promo is really just an attention getter

Unlimited domains and sub-domains - another non-issue, sure you may be thinking of having many more domains on your account, but I bet it will be less than 20... because when you get that active you will have priorities other than hosting plans.

As you can see, I'm leading to a point.
Your main concerns with deciding whether or not to even consider a plan are more with support of any particular program, software, or protocol you want to use for your website than how many email accounts you get. For instance: if you want to do a WordPress based website, (WP requires a certain industry protocol), and the web hosting company does not support that protocol, (or does it badly), then it doesn't matter that you get unlimited emails wiith their plan... you still can't use them!

So what is really important?

Reliability - Dependability - Customer Support!
With so many of the plans being clones of each other, and because your time and website accessibility are too important to compromise, those are the really important factors in choosing a web hosting plan.
You need a company with reliable equipment so your website stays available to the visitors you will work so hard to send there. You don't want the daily worry of checking to see if your website is still up.
You need a web hosting plan you can count on. One that gives you what is says, and does what it promises.
And perhaps most importantly, you want a web hosting company that sees customer support to be as important as you do. The best features available will pale when you have a problem or question and can't get help or a satisfactory response from the company.
Of course, (you knew it was coming didn't you) I have a couple recommendations for you below.

There are price levels to a web hosting plan

The market for web hosting services is so competitive that the hosting companies are falling all over each other to offer you 'more and better', and dropping prices to entice you to pick their plans.
There are price levels in the plans...

Payment method - Your monthly cost will be based on how long you sign up for. The low price they quote in their ads, and on their pages will be the cost for a 2 or 3 year contract. Your monthly price on an advertised $3.95 plan could go as high as $9.95 -$12.95 per month if you just wanted to pay monthly instead of all at once.

Services/Features - Here's one you need to specifically ask about, the unlimited domains and sub-domains. They advertised you can have up to as many as you want hosted on one account, But... does it cost more to have more than one on an account? or is there a set-up fee for each additional account? You need answers to these questions before you sign-up.

Support - There could be different levels of access to support. You may get free email support with your plan, but does it cost more to have telephone support too? Or are there different guaranteed support response times based on the plans? Maybe not, but it's a question to get answered.

3rd-Party add-on programs - Even if their plan advertises support for a particular program or standard, ( like Coppermine image galleries, or WordPress), will it add to your price to actually add these programs to your sight? Something else to ask.

Too many choices, how do you pick?

You can find 'Top-Ten" lists reviewing Web Hosting Companies all over the internet. But here a a few that have high marks and good customer reviews.

Some well reviewed companies

Bluehost.com
Bluehost - Top rated web hosting provider - Free 1 click installs For blogs, shopping carts, and more. (more user information on Bluehost Web Hosting)

Hostgator.com
Unlimited: Bandwidth, Storage, Domains,Email,MySQL, 30 Day Money back guarantee 1 Free Domain Name included - 24/7 Toll free Support - Merchant Acct. Support - PayPal Support - Coppermine image galleries, $75 Marketing Credits (more user information on HostGator Web Hosting)

justHost.com
A good reliable company with the unlimited features and a 99.9% reliability rating More user information on justHost Web Hosting)

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Appletreedeals is an ebay seller and affiliate marketer and he
also uses Hubpages articles to send buyers to his listings.

Auctiva, Make eBay listing easier, and save money

noreply@blogger.com (Camping with Gus) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:48:00 +0000

Auctiva, Make eBay listing easier, and save money

Auctiva is a 3rd party listing service that can save you money and time using its picture hosting and listing scheduling services. It is very easy to use, and has hundreds of free auction templates, or you can create your own custom template.

But first… we have all been lured into reading reviews or promotions just to realize that the writer is an affiliate promoting the product to make money. Nothing wrong with that if the review is honest and straight forward, but too often it's just another product 'shill' for an over-priced product.

This is a product promotion, not a 'Shill'.

For the sake of full disclosure;
I don't think Auctiva pays for referrals. They did provide a referral link with my user ID inserted, but nowhere on the site could I find any mention of affiliate commissions. And I looked! I wouldn't mind getting paid for promoting a product I like. But, it's a good service and maybe I'll get a 'Thank you' email if any of you folks use the link to check them out.

I have been using Auctiva since 2006. It was a FREE service until July 1, 2009. They were an eBay affiliate, that's how they were able to offer their services free to us and still stay in business.

Auctiva is a big 3rd party provider, one of the majors in the market. There are others, Vendio and Ink Frog come to mind, but when I first started on eBay and was looking for this kind of service, Auctiva was FREE, easy to use, and suited my needs, and, well, does it get better than that?

When eBay changed their affiliate marketing program in 2009, it cut Auctiva's source of income, they couldn't stay FREE anymore. It was either close up shop or become a fee-based service. As I said… they're not FREE anymore. But they are REASONABLE.

There, the table is set.
Let's start talking about Auctiva. I'm not going to compare it with other services, (well maybe some mentions), because this is a product promotion, not a product comparison. I really like Auctiva, I pay to use it now! So let me tell you why you should check it out.

Auctiva is powerful enough to do all the tasks needed by a Power Seller, and easy enough to understand and be used by an eBay Newbie. There's practically no learning curve. I remember having listings up and running in minutes when I first started as an eBay Newbie. I mean minutes, really! Of course there is a lot more depth and power to Auctiva than I used for those first listings, and I did spend more time later configuring all my "profiles", terms of service, default parameters, and things like that later, but the point is I didn't need to do all that to get started, I could take it a step at a time, and even though Auctiva has grown and is more powerful, with more features, you can still do the same now.

Just to get it up front, so you're not waiting for the 'hook'; Auctiva's Services begin with a very, very limited free service, but the minimum you will want to consider is the basic plan at $2.95 per month. If you are having any success at all you will soon graduate to the $9.95 per month plan. There are also more expensive plans, but if you develop to that point, you won't consider them expensive.

I think the most beneficial service to the eBay seller is the ease of use and powerful features of Auctiva, and I'll tell you about that later, but here are the two features that will save you real money, not just time/labor-saving money. It's their picture hosting and listing scheduling services. eBay charges you PER LISTING, for these services so they can add up when you start placing a volume of listings. They are included free in Auctiva's plans.

For instance;
Pictures…
We all know, or you will know, how important pictures are to successful and profitable auctions, in most cases more pictures are better. eBay gives you 1 picture free, then its 15 cents per picture, ( or a 6 picture deal for $.75) Auctiva let's you use up to 24 pictures without any additional picture charges. (did I mention Auctiva hosts the photos for you?)
Even if you only use 2 pictures per listing, (I sometimes use 6 to 12) that's a 15 cents PER listing savings.

Scheduling…
If you have multiple auctions to list, I hope you aren't sitting there typing as fast as you can to get your listings done and posted Sunday evening when you want your auctions to start. eBay will charge you 10 cents per listing to allow you to type it up and schedule it later when you want it to start.. Auctiva offers FREE scheduling. Unless you only plan on listing a couple auctions, and it's not a problem to be tied to the computer at the time you want the listings to start, you will need to schedule listings! That's another 10 cents PER listing savings.

So at a combined 25 cents per listing, it only takes 12 listings per month to save enough to pay Auctiva's fee. Which means all the other features you will come to find indispensable, will essentially be FREE for you to use. I call that a good deal.

I'm not going to do some great extended list and explanation of Auctiva's other features, Auctiva does a much better job of that, and I'll give you the link to check them out. But I will tell you how I use Auctiva and what I think you'll find the most useful to you.

As a new eBay seller, my vote for the best and most beneficial feature of Auctiva is the super easy to use one-page lister. No learning curve, just fill in the blanks and follow the prompts. You start at the top with things like auction-type, (store, fixed auction), and follow down through title and category, and now you're at a 'wysiwyg' html editor to write your item description. It really is that easy. No figuring out what to do or what the program means. You can do it all in this editor, format text, insert links and images, you'll love it.

Then you just continue down the page filling in the blanks, easy as pie. You reach the bottom and just choose; save, post to eBay, or schedule for later listing. If you know the information about your item it's almost as fast as my description of it here..

Right after the description is a section for you to insert your photos for the listing. Just use Auctiva's uploader to send them to Auctiva, then click on them to insert them into your listing.. Of course there is more. Modules and profiles and file management and much more. But these are features for you to choose to learn as you go along. Most of them are used to automate your listing creations as you list more and more. The point is, you can use Auctiva to list right away, and learn the more advance features as you go along.

Anyway. Once you're all done with the listing details, Auctiva automatically inserts them into the correct place in whatever listing template you picked , and your item is ready for eBay.

For the new eBay seller, it really is that easy to get your item properly set-up and listed on eBay. For the more experienced seller, yes, even multi-listing power sellers, the advanced automation features will save you so much time for all your other tasks.

You should check out Auctiva! And to really see the 'ease-of-use' comparison, check out Vendio too. Vendio is probably the most popular 3rd party lister, and it may have an edge in the inventory management module, (maybe not too, Auctiva has recently revised theirs), but for ease of use. Auctiva wins hands-down.

Just click the Auctiva link and check them out. Take their product tour, and take a look at some of the templates they offer. I'll think you'll like it enough to sign up. And you can try a few listings FREE! Take it for a road-test. I think you'll be glad you did.

Powerful eBay Listing Services

G.A. Anderson

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Appletreedeals is an ebay seller and affiliate marketer and he
also uses Hubpages articles to send buyers to his listings.

eBay Partner Network Affiliate Program... Is it for you?

noreply@blogger.com (Camping with Gus) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:44:00 +0000

eBay Partner Network Affiliate Program... Is it for you?

The eBay Partner Network affiliate program has gone through some major changes lately, and a lot of affiliates have been dropped. BANS affiliates have been hit especially hard by the tightening of affiliate performance standards. If you make money online using eBay’s affiliate program, or are planning to, you need to be aware of the programs new direction.

For a bit of history;
The eBay Partner Network, (let's call it ePN from here-on), is eBay’s affiliate program. It was initially administered through an affiliate portal called Commission Junction, but was taken 'in-house' by eBay in 2008. The affiliate fees were fairly generous, and a whole new affiliate market developed using what are called 'niche stores'.

Complete software programs, (heard of BANS?), and code widgets, (like phpbay pro) were developed that would allow you to open an online "eBay store". If someone clicked on an auction and bought something, you earned an affiliate commission from ePN. Acceptance to the program was not restrictive, and a lot of people were making good money from it. (and developing programs and code widgets for it)

The affiliate market isn't just 'little' guys like you and I, there are also huge affiliates, known as 3rd party providers, like Auctiva, and other companies that provided eBay services to us 'little' guys. Every service or product these companies provide to us has their affiliate codes inserted. ePN pays them just like it pays the individual affiliate. Are you thinking big money now?

ePN was always about quality traffic from it's affiliate referrals. The program had integrity, they didn’t accept affiliates from ‘sketchy or shady’ operations. No porn, violence, drug, or other non-upright’ type sites. But barring that, almost anyone could become an ePN affiliate.

So life was good, and then...

Jumping to the present time, or more precisely, around the beginning of 2009.

After a year of major upheaval relating to eBay auction sites policy changes regarding sellers, (surely you haven't missed the 'seller boycott' and tanking of eBay stock), the aftershock of the quake caused by those policy changes has rolled into, (or should I say, over), the affiliate market. eBay decided it needed a make-over.

ePN’s TOS, and their code of conduct, included some pretty strict requirements, and you also had to agree to eBay’s TOS too, so now that they have decided they only wanted “quality” traffic referrals, (remember the “new” eBay is all about the buyer’s experience), and maybe they had too many people making money from them, it was time to enforce the rules! Bam! You’re an affiliate today and a banned ex-affiliate 7 days from now.

They started with the big guys, the 3rd-party service providers, (think Auctiva) first. They decided to interpret the agreement rules in a way that excluded, or restricted the big 3rd -party providers. Facing this loss of income, Auctiva, rather than folding it’s tent and going away, has had to become a pay-for-service provider. They weren’t the only big provided shut out, just the most well known. Software and code providers for the market are also taking a hit. If the little guy can’t get into the Epn program, they don’t have a need for these products anymore.

And now we get to folks like you and I.

ePN has tightened their acceptance standards, it’s no longer a sure-thing to get in. They have even dropped some of the business models they used to accept, so now if your site doesn’t fit into a certain model, (there are 8 model categories actually), they won’t even accept your application. And if you are a current member, the terms are enforced so stridently that any number of things that you can’t easily control, like net bots or spiders, will get you kicked out because they can potentially cause false click impressions. Bam! You’re out.

The net is buzzing! Blogs and forums are full of people screaming with frustration. When ePN decides to ban you, you don’t get a warning, you just get an email telling you you have 7 days left and then, Good-bye. You don’t have a chance to fix violation-causing problems, you may not even know what TOS term you violated, and so far there doesn’t seem to be any kind of appeal or reinstatement process. When you’re out, you’re out. Good-bye, won’t see ya later.

Affiliates that had spent great effort to develop and promote their BANS stores, (either one, or hundreds), and were making an income from them, were getting their 7-day see-ya later emails, and they didn’t even know what they had done wrong. Other than the big 3rd-party providers, this is the group of affiliates that have been hit the hardest

Judging from the blog entries and forum posts, it appears that no one can get in touch with or talk to a real human, it seems ePN is run by ‘noreply email bots’, most banned ex-affiliates aren’t even sure why they are being shut-out, so they are only left with speculation.

Note: the ePN “good-bye” emails do include the reason for expulsion, but the wording is so convoluted and undirected, that most people can’t determine what they are saying they did wrong.

The gist of the responses from the banned folks boils down to two primary reasons for expulsion from the program;

1. you have generated to many suspect or false click through Impressions

2. your referral source does not provide the type of “quality” referrals ePN wishes to get
from it’s program participants.

*There is even a new sub-market popping up. People are writing code for, and offering services to, examine all your affiliate link and web site usage to protect you from the harm caused by the effects of net bots and spiders on your click impressions record. And new sites specifically for anti-ePN, banned affiliates are popping up like weeds.

So that’s the turmoil ePN is facing right now.

But, there is a but… and it’s a big one. The dust hasn’t settled yet.

So far, most of this is “appearances and speculation”. ePN doesn’t appear to be making any kind of PR effort to clarify it’s position, so the only buzz on the net is frustration and speculation from the banned ex-affiliates. Who, of course, are going to paint the worst picture of ePN and the best picture of themselves.

“I’m only a sweet old lady making a little money on the side, and that big bad ePN is taking it away”. Well, maybe you are and maybe you’re not. Maybe your side money is from affiliate links on your porn site.

Appearances count for a lot! And for now, it appears that ePN’s policy direction is leading it down the same road to purgatory that its parent, eBay, has been traveling on for the last 12-18 months.

We’ll see, time will tell, but my bet is that eBay is dragging a successful program into the same mire it put itself into with it seller-alienating, stock-killing policy changes of late 2007 and 2008.

I know I’ve painted a pretty negative picture of ePN, but there are still A LOT of people, (myself included), who are still making good money from eBay’s affiliate program.

And maybe it’s all sour grapes from poor performing affiliates. (or not)

I’m just telling you the pot is boiling and ePN doesn’t seem to know it’s cooking yet.

Either way, if you would like more information about ePN, or check out becoming an ePN affiliate, I’ve written a decent, (of course I would say that), how-to on ePN registration article on Hubpages. You can check it out at The basics to making money with the eBay Partner Network Affiliate program

G.A. Anderson

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Appletreedeals is an ebay seller and affiliate marketer and he
also uses Hubpages articles to send buyers to his listings.

see more at Gus' newest site: campingwithgus.com checklists

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