Greetings to one and all:

I've heard quite a few people complaing to me about their auctions getting lost in the shuffle on E-bay. They have something they want to sell, but so does two hundred other people. I figured I'd drop a few tips I use to get my auctions to stand above other similiar listings and perhaps someone else could put them to good use as well. So, onto my tips:

Tip #1: Honesty Is The Best Policy: It can be tempting to omit certain details about the item you are selling such as defects, rarity or missing pieces. While it may help you sell an item, it will probally earn you negative feedback and less future sales. Be honest in your listings. If it is missing pieces or has a defect, be up front and post a picture if possible. A buyer will apprecaite the honesty and be more likely to buy it as opposed to an auction that is vauge (i.e. uses terms like "I think it is complete", "appears to be in mint condition", "very rare and limitted" [when it is not]).

Tip #2: Have A Good Refund Policy... Within Reason: This one can be tough, but I find having a good, reliable refund policy will encourage people to buy from you and earn repeat business. I typically offer a refund if the product is returned in the same condition it left my hands within 7 days. I do not offer refunds on things like CDs, DVDs or computer games as they can be copied and then returned, but the choice is yours.

Tip #3: Stand Out In A Crowd - Subtitle: Nothing is more frustrating that listing an item and finding it lost in 5 pages of similiar listings. E-bay does have tools that can make your auciton "pop out" to the eyes of a browsing buyer. For minor value auctions, I love to use the Subtitle auction. It's only .50 cents and not only does you auction stand out... you get a chance to enter more text to attract buyers. For bigger ticket items, I'll use the Bold option for $1.00, but that is a pretty rare occurance. I tend to triple my chances of a bid if I use Subtitle as opposed to nothing.

Tip #4: The Bonus Round: Everyone is selling item "X", so why would they want to buy yours? Give them a little incentive to! Offer them a bonus to the winning bidder. I like to offer a reasonable bonus, if I can, to the winner of my auctions. Some of the bonuses I've offered is extra comics, extra action figures or extra hockey cards. In almost all of the cases, the bonus items are things that would not net me a profit when sold alone or in a lot, but they would be apprecaited by a buyer. For example, I sold a Sydney Corsby Mini-Jersey and tossed in four extra mini-jerseys as a bonus to the winner. Another twist I like to use is I always toss in a bit more than I say I would. It usually cost nothing extra in shipping and I love giving buyer's plesant surprises. Sometimes, I toss in bonus items and a small note without telling the buyer.

Tip #5: Free Shipping: This one can be tricky. I tend to offer it on items that are going to sell for a high price and ship for a relatively low cost to begin with. In some cases, it may be the only way to really stand out in a field of many. The call will be yours to make.

Tip #6: A Picture Is Worth A Few More Bids: I know one thing that irks me is looking at a stock picture in an auction. Include an honest and decent picture of the item you are selling. As a buyer, I'd rather pick the devil I know as opposed to the devil who uses a stock picture. I also get requests occasionally for a picture of the back of the item and such. I quite happilly take it an send it along.

Tip #7: Feedback The Feedback: Feedback is the lifeblood of E-Bay. It can make or break a seller. We all will get neutral and negative feedback at some time in our E-Bay life. Wether we deserve it or not is not the issues; a buyer will look at it and it will influence his decision. Take the time to respond to all feedback. Be polite and the better person when you post a response. If you can, point to features of your auction (i.e. refund policy, shipping times and cost, rules) in the response to show that the feedback could have been avoided or undeserved. I've seen some people post responses to postive feedback. I don't know if it helps, but the choice is yours (i.e. "Feedback - Great seller! An asset to E-bay!, Response - I take pride in all my transactions.").

Tip #8: Humor, The Best Medicine: I don't know if it helps, but I like to add humor to my listings and auctions. Sometimes, I joke around with the description (i.e. "Only used once... by 19,450 people", "Wife is making me get rid of it, so don't bid on it so that I may keep it", "I found this while cleaning out my closet. Also found was two packs of gum, a used concert ticket stub, several hangers and a small garden gnome.", "Probally the last chance this hour to own this extremely common item."). Other times, I put a twist on the bonus I offer (i.e. "Also included is a photograph of my cat. He says he wants to be famous.", "In addition to the hoceky card, I'll include a set of temporary Betty Boop tatoos."). Have fun with it. It'll make buyers remember you and put you on a favorites list.

I hope these 8 little tips can help. If I think of more that make sense, I'll toss them up. Maybe I'll even make another guide sometime ("Top Ten Signs That An Auction Isn't Worth Bidding On").

Ciao!