Top 7 Mistakes eBay Sellers Make

For a growing number of entrepreneurs, eBay is their sole storefront. The beauty of eBay is that it lets you get into e-commerce without having to go through the trouble and expense of setting up an e-commerce site of your own.

An interesting aspect of eBay is how the demand for an item sets the price. This can be a good or a bad thing for sellers. Many do not realize that the product itself is only a fraction of the equation. You auction listing has to make the buyer want the item itself more and you must stand out from your competitors who often are selling the exact same item. Sometimes trust is more important than having the lowest price.

Some sellers manage to drive winning bids down without realizing it because of laziness or lack of marketing savvy. If a reserve hasn't been set, it can mean big trouble. There are plenty of eBayers looking to grab items for peanuts. If the resverve was set, the listing price lost more than it had to and when items go unsold the problems become even worse. Make sure you don't make the four mistakes:

1. Crappy Sales Copy - A poor description drives the perceived value down. Some buyers may ask a question but the vast majority will simply move on to the next auction. Don't just paste in product features. Write a story that makes buyers trust you.
2. Spelling Errors - A typo in the title can kill your auction fast. Misspelled brand names are the worst of all and hinder buyers from even finding the item. This is sure to cut the number of bidders by at least half since most people use the search tool. Only users of eBay Typo finder tools will find you.
3. Poor photos. A lousy image can actually be worse than no image at all. When you photograph your item, be sure to shoot it in proper light and include as many photos as possible to convey the appearance of your item. Make sure you are zoomed right into the item and in perfect focus. Also, bidder's don't care to see your socks.
4. Bad layout. Surfers are used to seeing content chopped up into easy to understand bits. Long tedious paragraphs are not as reader friendly as short independent sentences with some space between the lines. Typing in all caps will likely hurt since you come across as a ham-fisted screamer. Stay away from animated GIFs that can junk up your listing. Consumers shopping for items have no time for anything even slightly irrelevant.
5. Category Errors - Items that have been placed in the wrong categories make it harder for buyers to find your action. Luckily this isn't as bad as spelling mistakes since most user use the search function only and don't browse for items.
6. High Shipping Fees - If your quoted shipping price is higher than those of your competitors', you will lose the business most of the time. Most seasoned sellers prefer to raise the initial price of the item and offer competitive shipping costs.
7. Buy it Now! Blunders - Be careful with vintage and collectible items. They may be worth much more than you think. If in doubt don't use Buy it Now!

Sellers thrive when they go the extra mile to impress. Shipping quickly, promptly answering questions, showing an attention to detail when packaging items, etc. all ensure higher customer satisfaction. Often eBayers will cite these qualities when leaving feedback, ensuring new buyers pursuing your feedback will feel good about doing business with you.