Selling Porcelain, Ceramics and Pottery on Ebay

I'm going to write agianst my own interests but hey, people, and especially men, do stupid things sometimes. As i'm always looking for a bargain (why else are we on Ebay?), why on earth would I advise people on on selling their valuable porcelain items? The reason is quite simple: because I get frustrated!

As a seller, you obviously want to make the most of your sale and if you pay attention to the following little things when listing your items, the return will be well worth the extra effort.

- Spend a little extra time on photographs AND POST THEM.

Time and time again I read descriptions about the nice flowers...and how this "cutiepie" will be a great asset to my interior. But there's a good old saying: "A picture is worth a thousand words." A digital camera is real cheap these days and if your pictures don't come out right the first time, you can delete them, for free, and start over. A while ago I bought a dropdead gorgeous vase 24" Asian vase for $2 that could have brought the seller $20 or more....if only they had posted a decent picture. It had 1 picture posted, so dark you couldn't even see the vase. Why did I buy it? Because I took the trouble to download the picture and enhanced it in photoshop. Doing this confirmed my initial thought that this vase could be pretty cool. Needles to say, not all buyers do this and so the seller lost out.

- If there is a makers mark: take a picture and POST IT.

Quite often I'll read a great descrition of a makers mark. The seller will go on line after line describing it in real detail. In the time it takes to write that whole essay out, they could have taken a picture and posted it. Some factories have similar marks with only minor differences to indicate certain time periods. Sometimes the color of the mark will indicate another manufacturing date. Very often I'll email a seller asking for a picture of the mark but I don't always have time to do this. If I receive a picture and it turns out to be what I'm looking for, then I'll put in my bid. Not all buyers are willing to go through this trouble and so quite often I'm the only bidder, ready to pick up another bargain. If a seller won't or can't send me a picture I either move on or put in a low bid. Either way the seller looses. A extra picture will only cost you a couple of cents but will be well worth the "investment".

- List it in the right category.

The best bargains are found when items are listed in the wrong category. When you list, don't always trust Ebay's advice. Spend the extera 10 minutes and do your own research. Case of proof: currently I have a Lenox Rose Bowl for sale. Ebay has a category especially for Lenox. Is this cool or what? Heck no, because when you do your research, you'll notice that not one bowl listed in this category attracts a bid. But each and every one listed under dining &bar/ serving pieces/ bowls has a bid. Where do you think I listed my bowl? Did I get a bid? Yep, you betcha. Just make sure to use Lenox in the title and people doing a search on Lenox will still find it. Seems more people type in "bowl" than "Lenox" for their search. Spend the extra time on your research, it will be worth it.

- Inform buyers of your shipping charges.

A whole book can be written about shipping fees. Some sellers us "contact seller for shipping information" . A no go in my book. When you're listing an item it takes less than a minute to click on "use shipping calculator" and type in your originating zip code. If a seller is too lazy to go through this simple exercise, he/she won't get a bid from me. Buyers want to know upfront and don't have time to write little emails all day. Buyers are also lazy and some may advise you to use a flat fee shipping. That is up to you to decide, I personally am against it. I know my neighbor and I know for a fact that he will not pay me $15 to ship 5 pounds next door. If you use the calculator the charges will always be fair to everyone.

- Charge a FAIR shipping fee.

Don't list a 1 pound item for $0.99 and charge $20 in shipping. For starters, it is a violation of Ebay listing policy. You're more likely to get a bid if you list the same item for $20 and offer free shipping. It is just a mental thing. If you overcharge for shipping, people will feel ripped off and will loose all faith and confidence in you. You can charge for your time and materials but keep it fair. I charge a whopping $1 "shipping and handling fee". It's a mental thing for me. See, that way I don't feel I'm working for free. UPS, Fedex and the post office give you free boxes and the newspaper is dropped in your yard every day. A bag of peanuts and some bubble wrap don't cost a fortune.

Trust me, if you follow these little rules, you'll attract more bids and this inevitably leads to higher sales figures. According to legend you should "spread the wealth" and you'll be doing just that because Ebay will be collecting more in final value fees. Maybe with the extra profits they'll hire more staff for the helpdesk but I'm not holding my breath on that one.

Good luck in your sales.