Character On Ebay and basic how to sell on ebay

(How to sell On Ebay)

It utterly makes the mind reel, when you fully grasp just how many categories and sub-categories you could potentially list items for sale. And this doesn't even factor in the time that flies by when you start actively perusing categories of curious fascination...

However, when you boil it all down, there are only two types of offerings for sale:

-Tangible [physical “stuff” or real-world, off-line services; such as a lamp, massage service, or automobile mechanic]

-Non-tangible [any service or goods that can be completely fulfilled via computer; such as e-books, mp3's, Web hosting, etc.]

The primary focus of this Special Folio is the latter of the two types of offerings. However, once you fully assimilate these Timeless Principles, you mind will be racing with non-tangible applications, as well. Enjoy!

Part I: Your A.C.E. in the Hole-

Ambiance-

Regardless of what offerings you may consider posting on eBay, ambiance is everything. It is the difference between [possibly] getting your Buy Now, opening or minimum reserve bid, and witnessing a buying/bidding frenzy of hungry “sharks”.

The atmosphere, condition and status of your auction descriptions and eBay storefront [sometimes not so] subtly reflect to me- the potential buyer- volumes about you, and more specifically- your offerings.

Call it Consumer Psychology 101, for lack of better words. From womb to tomb, Americans are born, bred, and raised on ravenous- borderline manic- consumerism; until whence we pass on to the The Next.

So, how does this apply to you- in terms of prosperity and abundance, via eBay?

As an eBay seller, you already have the formula for Outstanding Success programmed into you, from birth. No joke. You just need an expedient “refresher course” to unleash that which is already yours.

To illustrate the importance of ambiance, I will use both a tangible and non-tangible example:
-Tangible example- For many years, Farmer Gerry has been stashing back what he refers to as “Farm Artifacts”, literally found sticking out of the ground. Most of which are ancient [by my reckoning]; dating back 50, 75, even a hundred years or more.

And I must tell you it is a truly mind-boggling collection of Humanity's majestic history of invention; out of necessity or pleasure!!!

Not to digress. A number of years ago, Farmer Gerry's wife needed to complete an art-related project for college.

In a long to short, she took a number of these Farm Artifacts and mounted them on an outside wall, in a highly intriguing manner that created a true synergy. The overall wall- as Life-sized art- became far greater than the sum of each individual piece.

It literally spoke a story of the days of Old...the Pioneer days. WOW!

Now- let me ask you; which way Farmer Gerry stands to make the most amount of money:

Merely giving each Farm Artifact from the wall a cursory description, and a photo or two; or revealing the full-blown history of the wall as a Work of Art, and highlighting each piece's history, if known?!?

If Farm Artifacts was your forte, which would you be most stimulated and motivated by [read “salivating”]???

The point, here, is that any time you are considering selling an item of greater value, it pays HUGE dividends to spend a little extra “research” time and create a background/history dossier for your item.

Educate your potential buyer in an invigorating and [if at all possible] entertaining way- you'll be far more apt to fetch Top Dollar for your offerings!

Most especially if it is rare, unique, non-mainstream, or so new/“bleeding edge” that the general public is not aware of it; it's background, benefits, nor it's applications.

-Non-tangible example- You've toiled long and hard on your first e-book. You've had it proofread by multiple individuals. You've carefully selected [or designed] the cover art. You are ready to share your Pride and Joy with the Global Web Community.
You could- like many folks that I've observed- just toss it up on eBay, as is, with a brief description and eagerly await flocks and hoards of sales.

And since eBay is over a hundred and sixty five million strong- the sheer numbers are in your favor- assuming a high-quality product at a fair price. Sure, you will make sales, and perhaps a lot of them. However, consider this:

Spend some quality time crafting your eBay About Me page and project yourself with enthusiasm- totally successful, if you haven't done so already.

Tell me about yourself, what inspired you to write your book, plans for future releases, favorite hobbies/pastimes, etc. This adds the unmistakable “human element” so desperately far and few in between on the Web these days!

Get some straight-from-the-heart reviews on your book. Like what you find on the back, or just inside of, a paperback. Give me an irresistible, fat list of sales bullets with some sizzling sales copy; maybe even tantalize me with a sneak-preview of a chapter or two...

Character on ebay-

Though not the same, your Character is kin to ambiance.

If the extent of your effort is merely to present your offerings in a bland, uninteresting way; then whether or not you actually make the sale depends solely on your price, and the visual information I can glean from the quality of your photos.

If I actually, really want your offering bad enough, I might convince myself to send you an e-mail with a question or two.

However, that detracts from both my precious time and overall eBay experience- unless I want your item THAT bad; which I most seriously doubt- all things being what they are.

Let's face it- we live very harried lives with a bazillion “taxings” of our extremely limited time and money resources.

If you do not inspire me to keep reading- for my own personal enjoyment- you have a better than a 99% chance of loosing my- and countless other's- interest and business.

Why? With just eBay, alone, I have millions of consumer choices at my immediate fingertips. And that doesn't even factor in the other 70+ million Web Sites, my bills, children's needs, etc., etc.!!!

However, when you inject your personality into your descriptions and storefront, and it's one I find somewhat intriguing; at very least- you'll inspire me to read on a little farther.

Maybe put your auction in my fav's, to get back to. Perhaps your Character even persuaded me to make a modest bid!

One thing's for absolute certain, though- you will sell far more, far quicker, by putting some real personality into your copy!

This is your unbridled opportunity to project yourself in the most positive light you perceive [above and beyond spouse, parent, co-worker, etc.]. Convince me that I actually dealing with a real person; one with real interests, struggles, and hopes- just like me!

What made Paul Harvey such a smash success syndication? Was it the information he shared? Perhaps. But it was his Character that gave otherwise mildly amusing information personality and life!
One last thing on Character: It is absolutely realistic that the only way I'll ever know you is by your copy; convince me you're worth knowing- because friends do business with friends, over strangers!

Exposure-

If you've actually participated in selling on eBay, you've come to the realization that there are multiple types of auctions you can utilize [assuming you have a high-enough feedback rating or a Verisign “check mark”].

It is outside the scope of this Special Folio to go into each one. The important thing to understand, is that with these different types of auctions are numerous, not-so-obvious Timeless Principles for getting noticed.

One of which I shall bring this Special Folio to a close:

The “suggested serving” strategies [as presented by eBay] are not necessarily the most advantageous to your prosperity. Naturally, eBay desires your experience with them to be pleasurable enough so as to be repeatable. That said, they have their own self-serving interests to cultivate first- then yours.

So, use this leverage to your advantage! The timeless Principle you are about to [re] discover will work- not only on eBay, but- equally well- with search engines, classified ad sites, and other on-line auction houses.

As a real-life example of this Principle at work, let's assume that you are selling small ticket [under $25.00], non-tangible offerings.

Let us also assume that you have acquired the “Buy Now” privilege. If not, you'll have this Principle firmly in mind when you finally do!

Meanwhile- back to the e-book example covered above.

You have not only deftly crafted your Labor of Love; you've uploaded it, created your payment button, included a few excellent bonuses, chose a suitable Web template, forged some highly compelling sales copy- brimming with personality and atmosphere- and even decided on a starting price of $9.99!

Here's where your Marketing Strategy comes into play. At first glance Dutch Auctions seem like such a bargain- especially when, for a bit extra you can get a 10 day run instead of seven.

And since you are eBay savvy, after all, you decide to only post your auctions on Thursday afternoons- at 7:00 PT, let's say- to get two full weekends of potential exposure.

Sound marketing tactics- right? Perhaps not...

First, there are a few other considerations, which include:

➢ Is your product deliberately limited in quantity- the Scarcity Principle- or is your goal to keep on selling as many as you possibly can?

➢ Is your e-book serial or ISSN numbered?

➢ Have you prepared a downloadable Special Report that highlights your offerings, while adding real value to the end reader; delivering nothing but juicy, zero-fluff content- perhaps even infused it with some good, clean humor or anecdotes?

➢ Do you already have an outline of your next Project, in the event that your e-book ends up attracting a strong following...

If you are selling a truly limited quantity of identical, non-tangible goods; then the Dutch Auction is a good advertising value- especially when combined with the ten day auction upgrade, depending on total quantity.

Back to the e-book example.

After strong and careful deliberation, you finally decide that you are definitely after continuous, maximum exposure.
And to make it as easy on yourself as possible, you've opted to exclusively use the “Buy Now” option; covering each, individual list fee within the price of your e-book.

The only way to make serious cash on eBay, and acquire the lifestyle you ultimately envision yourself living, is this:

my ebay
www.how-to-sell-on-ebay.net