![]() |
Auction Information |
|
|
Sell Your Items at Cost and Make a Fortune on eBay!
Like all ebay sellers I wanted to sell all of my items at a profit and what I found was that when I was getting to the end of line items that I was ending up selling them at cost, even though the items were finally selling at a profit price, because I was having to factor in the ebay relisting fees etc. So I took a moment and sat down and thought how I could deal with these items and still make money. What I ended up doing was thinking outside the ebay sellers box and coming up with selling them at cost to make a fortune. What I mean by this was that I was going to sell the items at no loss to me on ebay but then use the opportunity to build a relationship with the buyer that could be used to build long term profit for me. Think of it as : A loss leader without the Loss! Let me use a couple of examples : Scenario One Item sells on ebay for Ł20 profit, buyer buys the item and pays and thats the end of it. Your total profit is Ł20. Scenario Two Items sells at cost, zero profit but you use the sale as an opportunity to build a relationship with the buyer and lock them into your business. The buyer then buys one item a month (maybe more!) for a year giving you a profit of Ł240 (minimum). If these are from your website not ebay your profit will be greater as you will have no fees. Over the lifetime value of a customer this could mean thousands of pounds profit... It is common knowledge that when a customer is locked into your business or product then they are more likely to repeat purchase, which is where the fortune part of the equation comes in. The principle can also be used when you sell at full price but as you are selling at a bargain price the customer is more likely to be interested in your offer as they will put your product and value into the same sentance. What I am asking you to do is to take a critical look at what the true worth of ebay actually is, is is not just in instant terms but the long term possibilities far outway the short term profits. The question is now, 'How do you build this relationship? There are a number of ways but by far the most successful that I use is by using a simple email!!! No harder than that this building a relationship idea... Once the customer has bought my ebay item I send a simple receipt via email thanking them for thier purchase and making them aware of my website and offering them the opportunity to join my mailing list so that I can contact them with furthur offers they may be interested in. I make it very clear that I have no intention of flooding them with spam and give them the choice of the number of times they will be contacted in a month. This has two effects, they gain trust in your professionalism as you are seen not to be just harvesting emails and it also makes them feel in control as they set the frequency of contact. It does mean that I have to operate a number of mailing lists but this is a small price to pay to lock customers into my products. The majority of my customers (approx. 90%) join the '1-4 times a month list which is great as this means that I can contact them once a week with offers if I needed. This is a frequency that I feel is adequate to maintain the relationship between me and my customers as I am not seen to be spamming them but still seen to be offering products of interest to them. It is also important to note that I do not always send out one mailing a week as it is dependent on the product you sell as to whether the customer would want to purchase once a week. i believe greatly in the relationship that I have with my customers and can see the long term benefits of maintaining this and therefore I refuse to jepordise it for a quick profit. A point to remember, if they choose not to take the opportunity to join your list then do not keep emailing them. this is SPAM and will do no more than tarnish your company, website and products image in the eye of the buyer. What I am saying is Think outside of the ebay box, ebay offers a massive opportunity in terms of potential customers and long term profits as opposed to short term profits. How much would it cost to get the number of page views, that ebay listings get, on your website using your own traffic generating methods, use ebay and use it good. Mike - Webmaster and ebay Power Seller
MORE RESOURCES:
Auctions - Google News |
RELATED ARTICLES
Game Theory, Nobel Prize, & Auctions - Auction Primer Series - Part 1 William Vickrey, highly regarded as the founder of auction theory, was an economics professor at Columbia University when he published two papers outlining his views on auctions:"Counterspeculation, Auctions, and Competitive Sealed Tenders", 1961, Journal of Finance"Auction and Bidding Games", 1962, Recent Advances in Game TheoryIn 1996 he received a Nobel Prize "for fundamental contributions to the economic theory of incentives under asymmetric information." It's important to understand that asymmetric information is an essential component of auctions, where potential buyers have varying levels of knowledge about the value of the item. Search... Search... Search Your Way To eBay Cash! One of the most valuable things in life is the ability to learn a skill. One of my dad's favorite sayings was "You can give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, or you can teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry. Dropship Your Way to Success Many people know they would like to start an Internet business, but they don't have a product to sell. The solution is often drop shipping. From Ebay Zero to Power-Selling Hero: Don't Be That Random Ebay Guy If I could convey only one concept to someone who was about to start selling on Ebay, it would be this: no one has ever purchased anything on Ebay with this in mind--"I think I'll buy something on Ebay from some random guy and pay more than I would at the store down the street."No one has ever said that. USP on eBay If you have dabbled at all in the world of Internet marketing, you may have heard the term "unique selling proposition" or USP. USP is a technique that Internet marketers use to set themselves apart from the competition. Ebay Auction Selling Secrets - Using Ebay to Launch Your Very Own Highly Successful Website Launching your very own successful website is the dream of many people worldwide because it is a new way to make money and be employed by oneself with little overhead. So, once you have your website you will need traffic to make it successful. A WIN-WIN Scenario On eBay For Buyer/Sellers: Tips For Hunting Want It Now Postings "Ask And You Shall Receive" Policy Works!You're one-of-a-kind baby clothes sat for the last month on eBay with no buyer. Why? Perhaps your item is so specialized that buyers have a hard time finding you. From Ebay Zero to Power-Selling Hero: Using Feedback Effectively When I talk about feedback to new Ebay sellers, I usually compare it to having one note posted on the door of a brick-and-mortar business for every transaction. At almost any business--no matter how bad the service--you would have a lot of positive transactions; and thus a lot of positive notes. Online Auction Sellers - Seize Control Of Your Business! As the online auction model of business continues to evolve toward a more commoditized, corporate marketplace, it is time for online auction sellers to seize control of their business, before it's too late.In this article we will highlight some effective steps you can take to shift control back to your own business. Profitable Paper Piecing on eBay--Part 1 Why sell paper piecings on eBay?eBay is a great way to make a steady part-time or full-time income from a hobby that you love! Selling paper piecings has its ups and downs, but overall it is a rewarding and lucrative venture.Getting and Understanding An eBay AccountTo get started selling paper piecings on eBay, you will need to set up an account. Dropship Your Way To Ebusiness Success Q: I would like to start my own eBay business, but I really don't want to invest in a ton of inventory until I can get a better handle on what might or might not sell. I read another column about dropshipping, but I'm still a little fuzzy on how the whole process works. Snipe Your Way to Auction Success Bidding for a bargain is all part of the exciting eBay experience. But what can really disappoint is when you're all set to win that fantastic, gold plated gizmo and someone else just beats your bid in the very last minute. eBay and Dropshipping - A Perfect Fit! eBay and Dropshipping go together like a hand in a glove. As you read this article, right now, thousands of eBayers are running there own auction business. eBay: What Should I Sell? There is an art to picking profitable products. It's not just what you want to sell but rather what will sell. Profitable Paper Piecing on eBay -- Part 2 Basic Paper Piecing TipsHere are some tips that will help you create paper piecings that will sell!Save some time by eliminating the "tracing" of patterns. Take your pattern, lay it over your cardstock and use your stylus to "trace" it onto your cardstock. Is Selling On eBay Just A Hobby Or A Real Business? Q: I made extra money selling things on eBay last year. These were items I picked up at yardsales mostly. From Ebay Zero to Power-Selling Hero: How To Learn New Tricks Without Spending The Internet is the fastest-changing marketplace on earth. Million-dollar ideas from one year ago might not generate a single penny today. Auction Sales - Keeping Customers You Worked So Hard To Get! If you've studied business concepts you know that finding a customer can be the most expensive part of the sales process. Once you've got a customer why not maximize the money you've already invested in the effort?This time honored business concept certainly falls under the category of going the extra mile for a customer. Buying & Selling Gently Used Baby Clothing, Strollers, Toys, and Other Baby Items & Products on eBay Need Extra Money? Buy and Sell Your Gently Used Baby Clothing, Car Seats, Strollers, Toys, Books and Products on eBay! Hi Moms, So, you had your precious baby, and you couldn't resist -- all of those cute and beautiful baby dresses, rompers, suits, jean sets, christening gowns, onesies and unique designer baby clothes (like Tommy Hilfiger) that called to you when you were in the Gap, Old Navy, Osh Kosh or Little Me. Not to mention the countless baby clothes that relatives gave you that weren't quite your style, or too big or too small for your baby and still have the price tags on them, never worn. Instructions on How to Put Picture on Ebay Like many folks, you have heard of online auctions. Heck, even non-computer users have heard of Ebay. |
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |