We all know the hype on selling through the on-line auctions.  Most of us, set out with personal items and post them with hopeful dream of making it big!  Auctions are a great place, but not the "end-all" get rich cleaning out the closet business.  That is unless you conduct your business venture as that; "A business."

With any business, there is work that has to be done prior to opening your doors.  You need to research and plan your purchases, and promotions to fit your wares. You need to have some idea of how you are going to get more products, once your items sells to keep building your business and profits. You also need to plan where you want to go and set goals of achievement for your business.

Here are some suggestions, you might wish to consider, before buying, or dragging items out of storage, to sell on ebay or any other auction site.

1. Where are you going to look for wares to sell?   Auction sales are started by most work-at-home businesses, from thier own garages, cleaning out relative's closets, attics and basements, garage sales, flea markets or even a relatives business storage facility.  Although these are great ideas, these venues of acquiring products will either run out, or be cut off at some point in time.   By doing some preliminary investigation and research, you might find outlets which sell items in bulk, which will allow a per item profit beyond your costs. 

2. How are you going  to finance your business venture or on-going auction selling career?  Well if you are just trying to build enough funds to pay a bill, or to get over a "rough spot" in your finances, a one time offering of many items may work.  However, if you are truely going to build a business, over 80 percent of your generated profits have to go into supporting your venture.

So many people live from "hand to mouth" financial decisions.  This really is not a productive way to build a business venture, into a strong business. In fact it causes more failures in business than resisting the urge to use large amounts of profits for personal use.

3. Seperate your finances.  If you are going to sell on auctions or even in your own "brick and mortar" store front, you have to decide to keep profits away from personal funds.  Pay yourself for your work, but be sure there is sufficient funds to continue purchases and paying for over-head.

Although the above three issues are common sense, you would be amazed how many people will start out saving and seperating funds.  Then after they build up a few hundred dollars, they are tempted to go on a shopping spree, or to help a family member out of a financial hardship.  I know, because I started my first two businesses this way and ended up in situations that made it difficult to keep up maintenance on equipment and to pay over-head expenses, when those whom I loaned money could not repay those loans.  Just remember this; desperation and greed, will over-run any good intention if that intention is not back by strong will power and resolve.

4.  Make sure you have a plan to market your wares in more than one place. Personally, I sell video games, gift items and some used text books I found in my attic.  I have resolved myself to sell some items on ebay, and if those items do not sell; then I take them to either a Yard sale, garage sale, or flea market/swap meet.  Some items are worthy of even "door to door"  and business solicitations.

5. Offer "freebies" or some consession for sales to drive more interest in items.   In my current auctions, I am not offering any free items.  however, if you check my new web page, which I place the address on my invoices and payment instructions, I tell interested persons that they can buy from my web page and depending on the purchases, they could get some select items free of charge and free of shipping expense as a thank you for visiting and doing business with me.

6. Get a web-site and post a selection of items on that site. some places offer  free web sites for this purposes and allow you to plug in your pay pal account, for payment options of items.  If your web page is a low budget set up, then simply have the purchaser of your ebay items email you with a e-mailed order, to which you send them an invoice.  Make sure that invoice directs them to paypal or to paypro which ever accounts you may have.  Personally I use both.  Each are good tools and each have pros and cons. but regardless of which one you use, simply direct your customer to that site and get them to pay for their order.

7.  Planned Shipping policies are a "MUST" have.  It does no one any good, if you sale an item then procrastinate the shipping.  This does nothing good and causes a lot of angry customers, whom then can take a good "word of mouth" reference, to an advesarial situation which will cost you more than getting off your tail bone, and driving to the post office or calling UPS or fedex to pick the item up.

8. Follow up with your customers.  From time to time, follow up with purchasers and ask them about their experiences with you.  Ask them how you could improve.  If they can save you customers, it may be worth refunding them shipping costs if you can afford it, or sending them a thank you card or free gift.  I normally will do this, with my customers.  As far as freebies, I sometimes get items such as subscriptions that I am not interested in, or gift certificates or coupons for this or that, and will mail them to my clients, to thank them for their buying from us.

9.  Check your listing, before you send out your invoice, to the customer. Lord knows that I have found errors that I never knew existed in my listings. They are all unintentional. In one listing I listed a Gamecube game disc as a Mac disc.  When I noticed this problem, I immediately contacted the buyer and emailed him to let him know of the problem.  I allowed him to back out if he wanted; and he did.  but it saved me a whole lot of aggrevation and a bad feedback.  In another issue, I followed up with a customer four hours after he purchased a gift card.  Come to find out, it was not allowing him to register the certificate.  I immediately refunded his payment and extended a heart felt appology, for his inconvience.  Just besure you follow up with your clients, and be sure they are happy.  If not, find out why and see if you can make it better between you and them.  This will build confidence in you both, and set your auctions in a light of fairness.

10. Cycle your products.  This is hard to do, at times. You have to take time to research items and time your offerings according to the market cycle.  I have seen tools on ebay to assist you in this, especially when you relist or edit items.  Things I have seen directed me towards setting new prices, new reserve prices, and even new starting bid levels on like kind merchandise.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed this article.  If you have comments or suggestions on future postings, I would appreciate the feedback.  Take care, god bless and happy auctioning.