Auction Tip #11 - #15

Auction Tip #11: Save Time At The Post Office

If you don’t have much time to spend at the post office, prepare in advance. You can have all of your mailing supplies sent to you by the USPS. Visit http://www.usps.com for more details.

Auction Tip #12: Don’t Hold Personal Checks As A Policy

Bounced checks are rare. Since your future as a seller depends on the service you provide, being quick and trusting is always going to pay off tenfold in the long run.

So, hold checks only when the item is highly valuable, or when the user has a bad feedback history. Most eBayer’s are trustworthy- just check their record if you’re uncertain. Bounced checks are hardly ever blatant- mostly just carelessness.

Most buyers will acknowledge the mistake and make up for it.

Auction Tip #13: Price Straight Auctions Low To Build A Crowd

Do you have a good item that you KNOW will sell well? Start it off at a penny. This will get you healthy early bidding. You want a large group around the item; some will be competitive bidders- people who will pay extra just for the thrill of winning.

For instance, let’s say you started an auction for a silver dollar at a penny. At the end of the auction you may have 35 people that have bid. Handfuls are hawking it trying to win; they've waited all week to duke it out for this coin. If I started the same coin at $100 then I may only have 3 bids at the end. My chances for irrational bidding have just dropped through the floor.

At the end of the auction the fervor will kick in if you priced low and have a good product. You'll commonly get more for your item than someone who priced theirs higher, because your auction has more bidders watching.

Auction Tip #14: The UPS Will Stop By Too

To make life easier on yourself look into having a mail service come by to pick up your packages. The UPS charges $6/week for daily pickups. They will also email your customer with the delivery date and provide you with shipping label software and printer. Doing these kinds of things will save you time and money.

Auction Tip #15: A Picture Says It All

Photos make you and your item credible. The better you are with your camera the more bids you’re going to get. Take several photos of important aspects of the item, flaws and all. If your teapot has crack in it be sure to take a picture of that as well.

Also remember; by inserting a photograph of the item you are selling you get a 'Pic' graphic next to your item description. Bidders will see the 'Pic' symbol and will be more inclined to visit. If they can see the item, you'll get more bids.