You can increase buyer confidence and capture more bids with great pictures. Make the most out of your eBay item pictures and provide a visual shopping experience for eBay buyers. Pictures attract attention. Put your best “picture” forward and give your buyers a clear and detailed view of your eBay items.
eBay Certified Providers can help you show your product in its best light through Advanced Picture Services:
Image hosting
Bulk image uploading
Super sizing
Zoom ("zoom" in to view sections of the image in detail)
Watermarking
Image protection
Image management (organize)
Image editing (crop, resize, rotate and enhance color)
Benefits:
Increase bids, conversion and DSRs through accurate and informative product representation
Reduce Unpaid items and “Significantly Not As Described” (SNAD) claims
Save time and money by optimizing your listing and image workflow
For photo hosting, easy uploads, image protection, image management and more, check out our eBay Certified Providers.
Established in 2004, the eBay Certified Provider Programrecognizes third party companies excelling at providing the tools or services an eBay seller needs to grow their business and increase efficiency.
CanDo is an eBay Certified Solution Provider of custom development. CanDo has experience developing solutions on eBay for eBay sellers that reduce costs and streamline business processes. In addition, CanDo has been hired by eBay, Inc. on special projects for eBay, PayPal and ProStores.
eBay sellers may not fit a cookie cutter mold or adhere to a one-size-fits-all model. They have different selling needs and different pain points. There are times when an eBay seller does not find an existing listing tool (eBay or Third Party) that works for their business. In these instances a possible answer is to look into custom development by CanDo.
Benefits of CanDo:
Create the exact solution you need
Create a web and or desktop solution
Experienced eBay and PayPal developers
No need to use a cookie-cutter selling tool, manage your eBay business just the way you want to
Leading developer of AJAX, DHTML, XML and Web 2.0 applications
eBay sellers interested in custom development to help manage and streamline their eBay business or other aspects and channels of their business, look into CanDo.
Many eBay Sellers ask what profit margin they should expect from a wholesale supplier. A ‘good’ profit margin is not a standard percentage. One must take into account the market, product, the demand, competition and many other factors. eBay market research toolscan help sellers determine demand, price, and sell-through success on eBay. You'll gain a better understanding of what your likely sales price will be to help you decide which products will be profitable for you from wholesalers.
Another criterion affecting your margin of profit is your purchase volume. New eBay Sellers sometimes expect to make 100% profit on each of the products they auction or sell, because they are buying products at wholesale prices. Big retail chain stores may achieve 100% profit margins; but even for them, it is not typical. If you're like most eBay sellers, your business is small; and while that’s OK, it does mean you will not get the same wholesale price breaks the big chain stores do. You cannot expect to make the same profit margins big retailers make for the products you sell.
There are no hard-and-fast rules laid down for online retail profit margins. But there are a few general guidelines for what you can expect to earn. You certainly don't want to sell product at profit margins around a 15% profit. If you're earning 30 to 40% profit, you're doing very well.
Calculating your profit margin is not as easy as subtracting your wholesale cost from your retail cost. For example: if you buy a products for $5 and sell it for $10, plus the cost of shipping and handling, your profit margin is NOT 50%. Your profit margin is actually your retail cost minus your total ‘Cost of Goods Sold’ (sometimes called COGS). Your COGS must include all the costs involved in selling a product - the cost of hosting your website, or the fees for listing your auction, the advertising costs, and so forth.
If you take the time to know your real profit margins, you'll be better positioned to select the right products to sell. Don't try to achieve a standard value for your profit margins; the margin will change from product to product. It’s important to figure out the TOTAL cost of selling products, so you can calculate what your REAL profit per product is. Anything you exclude in your calculation when you determine your pricing will eventually come directly out of your profits!
Worldwide Brands is an eBay Certified Solution Provider providing product sourcing access and information for eBay sellers. They are the publishers of an extensive directory of legitimate, fully-verified ecommerce wholesalers and manufacturers.
The ShipWorks software provides eBay sellers with a solution to streamline their shipping process. ShipWorks makes it easy to ship more in less time by eliminating manual data entry through integration and direct download of eBay shipping orders from PayPal. ShipWorks will keep track of a seller’s notes, shipments, tracking numbers and emails related to each order. Orders are easily searchable and easily organized using ShipWorks filters.
eBay Sellers can set up preferences within ShipWorks to perform common tasks automatically. Such as setting a preference to automatically print invoices, send shipment notification emails, and updating the online status of orders every hour. ShipWorks makes it easy to keep customers up-to-date with shipping and status notifications, automatically.
In addition to managing your shipping flow, ShipWorks is able to maintain a comprehensive list of your customers based on all orders in the system. This allows you to manage customer relationships. You’ll know which customers have generated the most orders, purchase amounts, where customers are located, etc… Customers are easily searchable organized using ShipWorks filters. Utilize ShipWorks reporting to find and track what your customers are buying and how much of it. Compare your actual shipping costs to the shipping costs you are charging. ShipWorks makes it easy to report on any aspect of your business.
Other Benefits of ShipWorks:
Support multiple carriers
Endicia and Stamps.com integration for USPS postage printing
Bulk package tracking
Bulk label printing
Bulk invoice printing
Leave eBay feedback in bulk with customized presets
If you are not finding all the support and automation you need to handle shipping with eBay and PayPal, then try out ShipWorks. ShipWorks is a complete shipping tool.
ShipWorks offers a FREE 30-Day Trial for all eBay sellers!
Is the money for your next vacation or that long standing home improvement project as close as your overflowing closets? It can be when you get into the habit of turning your closet clutter into cash! Most of us have at least one closet in our home bulging with items we never use. And many people have multiple closets filled to the brim!
If you have never thought of transforming your unused items into money in the bank, consider this…
No matter how tired you may be of certain items, there is always someone else who will find value in them and be willing to pay for them!
Additionally, the market for pre-owned goods has grown dramatically over the past few years! Shoppers looking to “go green” are buying used goods where they once bought new. Other people are revisiting the way they spend their money, resulting in fueled demand for used goods.
So how can you get started turning your closet clutter into cash?
Selling your unwanted items on eBay can be a quick, easy and profitable process when you follow these five “closet clutter into cash” tips:
The first thing we need to do is get all that clutter out of your closets and believe it or not, this is often the hardest step for people! The #1 deterrent of turning clutter into cash is thinking that you’re going to use the item again! Make your decisions quickly. The longer you ponder over whether or not you should sell an item, the more likely it is to end up back in the closet. Focus on what you’ll do with your new found cash and you’ll find yourself very motivated to part with your unused items.
Do some quick pricing & selling format research. The biggest mistake people make when selling closet clutter is misjudging the value of their unused items. Don’t let your personal biases undervalue what you sell. That long since used, hand painted longhorn lamp your husband bought for his den may be an eyesore in your mind, but there may be someone else across the country searching for a lamp just like it! Conversely, don’t let your personal attachments overvalue your clutter either. While you may have fond memories of that black patent leather handbag you splurged on in the ‘90’s, it may not hold the same cache’ for today’s shoppers. Keep in mind that every item you sell adds up to more money in the bank! And market demand plays the biggest role in the final selling price of your item. To get an idea of what items similar to yours are selling for and whether they’ll sell better in auction format or as a fixed price listing - do your market research by using eBay’s Completed Items search filter.
Gather your items all in one place and look for any logical or unusual ways you can group items together. Creative bundling can net you higher prices. For example, instead of selling your pre-schooler’s outgrown clothing one piece at a time, think about selling a “LOT” ( i.e., a group) of items. Sell all your matching “size 4 girl’s summer clothes” together and offer another mom a whole new summer wardrobe for her daughter! One savvy seller put together a set of eclectic brightly colored dishes and sold it as a “Fiesta Set”! Her lucky buyer was thrilled to purchase a fun and funky set of colorful dishes that dazzled guests at her next dinner gathering.
Take a good photo. Just because your item came from the closet, does not mean you should photograph it there! A clear, close-up, well-lit photo (using natural lighting from a window) with a clean white background will really showcase your items and can significantly increase your final sales price. Your item photo is the first thing buyers notice when scrolling through the eBay search results.
Give people a roadmap directly to your items. The majority of all online purchases begin with a keyword search. Yet a lot of people don’t think about the importance of keywords when selling items from around the home. When creating your eBay listing title, think about what keywords your buyers will use to find your products. Do some practice searches and see if the title keywords that you’re thinking of using bring up a list of sold items (use the Completed Items search filter again to find recent items sold on eBay). The right keywords will help to connect your item with the perfect buyer.
Finally, list simply and quickly. Once people get into selling their closet clutter and realize how much money they can make, their tendency is to want to create the perfect listing and squeeze every last dollar out of their unused items. This leads to over complicating the listing process which slows down your progress and your profits dramatically! Remember, any money you make on an item stored in your closet is a net positive cash flow. And time is money! So don’t prolong the process of listing, go for it! Get it listed quickly using eBay’s Sell Your Item Form or Turbo Lister (both free eBay listing tools). And enjoy the profits as they roll in!
When you resell your unused items on eBay you make money, other people save money and you recycle. It’s a win-win situation! Now that you know what to sell and how to sell it, there’s only one thing left to do…
Get started turning your closet clutter into cash today!
About the author: Lisa Suttora is an ecommerce expert, noted product trend authority and the Founder & CEO of eBay Certified Provider WhatDoISell.com. With 15 years of online & offline retail merchandising experience, Lisa brings a fresh approach to the topic of "what to sell and how to sell it."
Since 2004, WhatDoISell.com has provided thousands of online sellers with the skills, knowledge and support they need to build a unique, thriving business on eBay.
Increase your sales and improve visibilityof your items on eBay with listing strategy and marketing help. It’s not enough to just be on top, you need to maintain “top billing” status and beat out your competition for eBay buyer attention. Be unique. Capitalize on eBay search, listing formats, visibility features, marketing and merchandising tools for eBay sellers.
Every winner has a strategy, and so should you.
Benefits:
Incorporate successful eBay pricing and listing strategies
Understand demand patterns of your product(s)
Compete effectively with your competition
Create effective design and build a recognizable name/brand on eBay to suit your target buyer
Up-sell additional eBay inventory
Configurable listings: Save time and spend less by letting buyers build the listing they want, on the fly
Trade-In program: Sell and source simultaneously, while expanding your market to owners of similar merchandise. Take a trade in right in the listing. Make buyers happy by providing trade in value based on trade in worth.
Consider enlisting the marketing and strategy services of an eBay Certified Provider to get started on eBay, or to grow your current eBay business with effective marketing and merchandising tools. eBay Certified Providers work with all levels of eBay sellers from beginners to larger online merchants and brick and mortar retailers.
Monsoon, an eBay Certified Provider, was awarded the eBay Star Developer Award for "Most Innovative" at eBay's 2009 Developers Conference in San Jose, CA June 17th. The eBay Star Developer Awards are awarded each year to the eBay developers recognized for building applications on the eBay API platform and for their achievements in enabling sellers to improve customer service and help sellers keep pace with eBay's dynamic marketplace. Monsoon was recognized by eBay for their "Dynamic Pricing" feature.
Monsoon's Dynamic Pricing feature will automatically search eBay competitive items and re-price a seller's inventory to beat their competition. Automatically reprice items up or down as demand fluctuates. Maintain the best price realization possible by leveraging great DSRs and maximizing visibility on eBay search.
“We are honored and excited to accept this award,” stated Monsoon’s vice president of product development, Clark Hale. “This has been an exciting project for us, one that we hope will bring our users even greater success when selling on the eBay platform. eBay has been a great partner in the effort to create these exciting tools, and it is flattering for Monsoon to be recognized for our hard work.”
Congratulations to Monsoon for this distinguished honor and for their ability to assist eBay sellers with competitive pricing that maximizes the value of their items based on competition and demand!
You can increase buyer confidence and capture more bids with great pictures. Make the most out of your eBay item pictures and provide a visual shopping experience for eBay buyers. Pictures attract attention. Put your best “picture” forward and give your buyers a clear and detailed view of your eBay items.
