Having worked in the grocery business for over 23 years, I have a very good working knowledge of what customer service is all about, and why providing great service is vital to any business. Not only does it make for a satisfied customer, but it also makes for repeat customers and those people tell others about your site and bam, before you know it you are building a successful Ebay business!

Once I decided to put my head down and go for it, well, at least on a part time basis, and opened up a basic Ebay store, I utilized the service skills I have gained over the past two decades, and also added in the insight gleaned from looking at other ads and reading other seller's thoughts on selling.

Officially, I started selling on Ebay about 3 years ago, but started to become serious about it a little over a year ago, and have been having a great time since. I am about to take the store to the next level in fact, and have began selling for friends and family! So, with that said, here are some hopefully very useful tips for those just beginning to sell on Ebay...

1) Time to go back to school: You have to treat it like you would treat going to college. First you join (enroll), then you choose what you would like to sell, and then you study like crazy before you list your first item! For instance, in my case I wanted to sell sportscards because I love to collect them, so all I needed to do is type in the player and card manufacturer into the search engine on Ebay. I then would get a whole host of cards, which I easily can narrow down to ones similar to mine. After that, it's merely a matter of saving those auctions for viewing later so you can see the final selling price etc. This is where the real studying comes in, and where the excellant sellers seperate themselves from the very good ones. Take the top 5-10 highest priced finishers and compare them to the bottom 5-10. Here is what you need to compare:

          A) Shipping Prices: I have seen sellers charge up to $4.00 for shipping a single card, with no discount for multiple card purchases!

          B) Are they selling Internationally as well as Domestically? This makes a huge difference in sportscards, because some of my top cards have sold on the Asian market, where NBA basketball is very popular! Just remember, international shipping can cost quite a bit more than domestic shipping.

         C) How professional did the website look? Did they use a "gallery photo" and what other special add-ons were added on?? For instance, did they use bold, etc.?? Depending on what you are selling, it may be worth it to add on some of these expensive extras, especially if it will bring in more viewers and higher bids! Gallery pictures, in my case, have really helped out, and I frequently use them on cards that I know will finish over $3-$5 final price.

         D) Feedback ratings: This is a wonderful tool for a seller and a buyer. The buyer can rest assured buying from someone with a great feedback rating knowing their item(s) will arrive as described in timely fashion. Likewise, buyers may not buy from someone who has had too many negatives. As a seller, it can really work for you as well! If you are at 100%, like I have been able to acheive, thanks to my great customers, then make sure you put that somewhere in your ad! Wait, however, until you get enough to make it worth it. Say 100 out of 100. At the time I wrote this I am getting close to 700 with no negatives. However, I really have close to 1000 positives with no negatives from that 700 people because several gave me multiple positives!

     E) Variety of delivery options, and other intangibles. Actually print out each finished transaction and compare them. Write down the differences, the similarities, and do research. Learn how to make a nice looking ad using simple html codes. I found a book on it at a book store that allowed me to produce a simple, yet somewhat professional, looking ad. Once you have typed the basic code in under the html tab (rather than the standard listing tab), you just go back to the standard listing and see the results of the html. You can then change the wording there. Once you get everything the way you want it, simply go back to the html tab, right click, hit select all, hit copy, then go to your notepad program and save it there so you can use it later on. This makes listing fast and easy! Believe me, with a little practice it really is a lot easier than I made it sound :)  If you would rather have someone else make your ad, there are several places on the internet you can go to that helps you create Ebay type ads, where all you do is cut and copy and paste and put the code in like I mentioned above. Vendio, I believe, is one such company. However, they do charge a fee, so make sure your business is bringing in enough to allow such an expense. Since I sell cards primarily, I just keep it simple.

     F) Now for a very important one, always remember this! The absolute key to being a successful Ebayer is knowing when to start and end an auction, and also knowing what sales format to use. Even more studying is required here. I found a couple of great, and simple to read, books about Ebay at the book store and found the information I needed to sell. You can track your own sales and see what times are working best for listing the ads and ending them. Generally speaking, it's best to end an ad around 6 pm Pacific time. However, if you  are selling internationally, then it will be influenced by that. For the sake of keeping it simple, I almost always start and end my listings between 5pm-7:30pm Pacific. I also vary the day of the week I place the listing, and always use the standard 7 day listing. Why list something for 3 days, when I can list it for 7 at the same price and get all that extra exposure. After all, I have a store on Ebay with 350 various items, mostly cards, that I want others to see!

     G) Once you have gotten the first 20 or so sales under your belt, and have learned the basics and are ready for the next step, then sit down and think about how big you want to make your business. Part time or full time? Sell your own items, or sell other people's, or, and I won't go into depth on this one, sell by a method known as "drop ship selling?" Only you will know the answer to this.

There are so many others to list, but I will keep this as short as possible. If you EVER need advice, or have some you would like to share with me, message me through Ebay and I will provide you with my email address.  I love selling on Ebay, and have set up my own mailing station, complete with a digital postal scale and the ability to print my own stamps, bubble envelopes, packing materials, etc. so I only have to go to the post office for International Delivery. I find great satisfaction in making my customers happy and when I read the positive feedback I know I have done a successful job. Always remember, too, that it's good to send a message to your customer after the sale is complete and the item has been sent. They love to know the item is on it's way, and like the fact that you have taken the time to message them thanking them for their business. I send yet another one if they post feedback on my behalf, thanking them for taking the time to do so. I also offer them an even greater shipping discount for a limited time for being such a "great customer." Take the time to make each and every customer feel important, deal with any complaints quickly and don't be afraid to offer a full refund even if you never see the item again (if they are adamant about it), and do your homework by studying and reading as much as you can about successful selling, and you will have a great time, like me, and make some money as well! Remember the adage, "You get out of it what you put into it!" Well, it especially holds true here!

I invite you to take a peak at my store, ask questions, etc. Watkin's Sports Cards and More is the name. All you have to do is type that into the Ebay search engine, or type in TonyW37 and it will come up. Also, read some of the feedback I have had, and imagine being a customer who is thinking of buying an item that another seller and myself are both selling. After reading the feedback, ask yourself now how important positive feedback really is!

Take care, thanks for reading, and good luck in your endeavors! Tony Watkins