Selling on eBay - Have You Found the Magic Formula Yet?

Selling on eBay can be very profitable and a great way to make some cash while clearing your house of unwanted items at the same time. It's quite simple, just describe and photograph your items and seven to ten days later you'll get a payment though paypal or by cheque posted to you.

With so many items available, how do you ensure that your item sells above similar items. Despite many ebooks, self acclaimed experts and guides on the subject, there simply is no magic formula to absolutely guarantee you sell successfully. Even professional power sellers sometimes have a maximum of just 60% of auctions finish successfully. However you can increase the odds of your auction finishing successfully by using your knowledge of how buyers search.

The title of your item is the most important part of your item description. The reasoning behind this is because a standard eBay search will only search item titles. A massive 70% of buyers use eBays search box to find the items. Keywords entered into the search box are not compared with the item description or sub-title.

So ideally you need to research into your item before listing it, or at least before deciding on the title of your item. To assist you with there are two services I recommend. The first of these is called Keyword-Pro which is a comprehensive list of top 50 keywords in every eBay category. Updated weekly, the service can give you a wide range of keywords to insert into your title to give it a higher chance of being found in searches.

Details can be found at: http://trading-web-solutions.com/keywords/

eBay themselves have a smaller less powerful version that lists the top 10 keywords in each category. With just 10 words you are less likely to find words relevant to your item. It's still worth a look though - You can find eBay pulse at: http://pulse.ebay.co.uk

However a word of warning about your title. NEVER KEYWORD SPAM - This is listing irrelevant keywords in the hope of your item being found. It's used most often with vehicles, if you've used eBay to search for vehicles before surely you must have saw an item titled such as the following

"SEAT LEON CUPRA - NOT CRX, MR2, AUDI, TURBO OR LOTUS"

See in this example how the seller would be using popular keywords to draw visitors to their auction. It's a clever tactic but if someone reports you to eBay your auction will be removed and you may be issued with a warning, or even have your account closed.

Finally, if 70% of buyers use the search function, what about the remaining 30%. We can assume that the majority of them browse though the categories on eBay. Did you know for a small fee of £9.95 (eBay.co.uk) you can feature your item so it's at the top of the section. If your items of high value, them featuring it is strongly recommended. This way you should gain high coverage however your bidders search.

Mark Kenny is an eBay seller & online entrepreneur who highly recommends the Keyword-Pro. Full details are at: http://trading-web-solutions.com/keywords/

---

Better Links Directory

EBay Feedback, 5 Key Things All EBayers Should Know

eBay's user feedback system is one of the site's most... Read More

eBay After Sales - as Important as the Listing Itself

Your eBay listing has finished and you have made a... Read More

Your Auction Headline Or Title - The Most Important Part Of Your Auction

The words you select to describe your item will have... Read More

Six Steps Towards Successful Buying at eBay Auctions

Buying on eBay can be very rewarding, either in terms... Read More

Your eBay Username - What Does It Say About You?

Have you tried to register a decent eBay username and... Read More

From Ebay Zero To Power-Selling Hero: What It Takes

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be "the... Read More

How To Sell Santa?s Slip-Ups

Shoppers spent more than $15.5 billion this Christmas on gifts... Read More

Losing Sales By Overcharging For Shipping And Handling

As a serious seller on eBay you're familiar with their... Read More

Nine Simple eBay Selling Hints

Some of these eBay hints will save you money, others... Read More

Making Money On EBay Can Be So Simple, Just Let Somebody Else Do All The Hard Work For You

OK, so you've been bitten by the eBay bug!You've ransacked... Read More

How Drop Shipping Works

One of the most frequently asked questions on the Net... Read More

Start Selling On eBay - Getting Started On The Right Foot

You've started your own eBay business and, even though it's... Read More

When is Wholesale Really Wholesale

You've finally found the wholesale source for the high demand... Read More

EBay: No Way?Yes Way (Ten Seller Themes)

Hearing that there are more than 1.2 million registered eBay... Read More

5 Sure-Fire Ways to Make More Money on EBay

Have you ever dealt with a salesperson or a waiter... Read More

Online Auctions: 5 Ways Your Business Can Benefit From Online Auctions

Online auctions are now the new gold rush on the... Read More

Low Cost, High Profit Dream Products To Sell on eBay and Amazon

Finding quality products to sell is the key to continuing... Read More

How To List Your Items On eBay

Listing your items on eBay can be very confusing if... Read More

Making Your Auction Business Stand Out From The Crowd

When my sons were growing up they started playing hockey... Read More

eBay The Mega Marketplace For Everyone

eBay is one of the world's largest market places with... Read More

Maria?s New Lifestyle: Short Story About The Benefits Shopping On The Net Has Given

I've got this strange friend; her name is Maria. Maria's... Read More

Fed Up With eBay?

For many people, their first experience of working online involves... Read More

The Number 1 Biggest Secret to Selling on Ebay

Ebay.com is a Tool. It is an awesome tool that... Read More

Taxing Your eBay Profits

As a small business person-slash-advice columnist I dread the first... Read More

Eating and Thriving On-Line

The Internet SHOULD be "the place to shop" for low-carb... Read More