You’ve found a great product to sell, you’ve spent time writing a description and taking photos…but no one is buying!

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. And the good news is, if you’ve done your research properly, it’s probably not a lack of demand for your product that is causing it not to sell.

More often than not, you just haven’t had time to pick up the tricks of the trade. As any powerseller will tell you, it can take months to learn how to get people to buy. But to get you on the right track, we’ve got some tips for you based on what we’ve found to work well.

There are two particular issues sellers face:

1. No one clicking through.
2. People are clicking through, but no one is buying.

Problem #1: No one is even looking at your auctions

Does your title contain important keywords?

It is possible that no one is even finding your listing if your title doesn’t contain good keywords.

What are good keywords? Good keywords are usually based on popular search terms. For example, if you are selling children’s pajamas, then my keyword research shows that popular search terms are ‘footed pajamas’, ‘kid footed pajamas’, ‘kid pajamas’, ‘boy pajamas’ and ‘girl pajamas’. Now this may all seem obvious to you, but sometimes the way people most often search for things is not what you would expect it to be. For example, if your title says ‘blue cotton pajamas’, then you may be missing out on your target audience. Remember that most people only search the first 1-5 listing pages, so if your listing isn’t relevant enough to appear in these top results, you will only be visible in the last couple of hours of your listing.

Are you using Gallery?

Gallery is one of the most effective listing extras you can employ. Statistics show that listings using the Gallery feature have a much higher chance of being clicked on than those without. But of course, you need a good photo to put into it to really work! See below for photo tips.

Does your listing stand out?

Compare your listing with others around it. Does your listing just blend in with the rest? A good photo in the gallery helps of course, but you can also consider using bold, highlight and even extras in the title such as "$1 NR".

Shipping

Is your shipping more expensive than other sellers? Shipping costs are now displayed in the list view so it is possible people might be choosing a seller with cheaper shipping.

Problem #2: People are clicking through, but no one is buying…

Photos, photos, photos

Clean, professional photos make all the difference to a listing. If there was just one thing I would recommend out of all these strategies, it would be spending more time on getting a professional photo. Basically, the more good photos you add to your listing, the higher the chance of a sale – and the higher the sale price too.

Good photos do require some equipment – a tripod, back-drop cloth or photo tent, and some quality lighting. However, the increase profit you receive in return will make it more than worthwhile.

Clothing sellers should also consider purchasing a mannequin. People buying clothes want to see that they will look great on, and the best way of convincing them is by showing them a picture!

Whatever your item, you should always have at least one photo showing the full object and one showing close-up detail. Consider hosting the pictures from your own server or another website to make the costs cheaper.

Alternatively, eBay’s value packs also make it cheaper.

I can’t emphasize enough how important good photos are to helping your items sell. The better your item looks, the more people will want to buy it.

Is your description thorough?

Does your description list as much information as you possibly can about the product? Is it laid out in an easy-to-read manner? Has it been edited and proofread to make sure it contains no spelling errors? Have you listed all the benefits? Are you friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic?

Note that you can put people off by coming across as too severe and strict or by showing a lack of knowledge and enthusiasm.

Have you included detailed shipping prices?

Including details of the different shipping alternatives you offer, along with pricing details is a great way of encouraging people to buy. Some buyers will be put off if they have to email and ask for shipping prices. By the time you reply, they may have gone cold!

Extras

Having a special of free shipping, sending a small gift or thank-you note with your package or offering a free guide or sheet of tips are all excellent ways of encouraging people to buy.

There’s no doubt you’ll pick up a lot of other selling tactics as time goes on. And of course, different products suit different methods. The point is, throwing up an auction and assuming people will come flocking only works with the latest and most trendy products – the rest of us have to be more creative!

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2007 at 11:25 pm and is filed under eBay selling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.