What eBay sellers are doing to sell more

  If you're an eBay seller the numbers are very impressive. There are more than 250+ million searches every day and in 2014 the platform reached $1 billion in sales. eBay is a great platform for people looking to enter the world of online selling, due to its user friendly interface and reputation for been a good outlet for getting rid of your ‘clutter’. However, some serious money can be made as well. This may come as a surprise, but the top selling item of 2014 was a Roger Dubuis Golden Square G40 watch which sold for a staggering $60,829. We spoke to Emma, who began selling her clutter on eBay before moving on to selling jewellery making kits. She blogs about her experiences of selling online at From Aldi to Harrods.

How did you get into selling?

Quite simply, I was looking at some ways to make extra cash. My mum was having a lot of success on eBay, so I started off selling my unwanted items and was amazed at how quickly it expanded.

What are some of the things you did to help you increase sales when you first started?

Being the only seller of a certain item was a great advantage, so if you can find a niche that would be great. I was also sure to include good quality photographs and ensure my feedback was glowing.

How did you get your big break?

As I mentioned earlier, I looked for items that no one else on eBay was selling. At that time it was jewellery making kits – which is hard to believe as there are now thousands on eBay. I sourced my items by simply visiting the high street and then spent a few hours putting together the kits. They cost me less than £5 and I was selling them for £30.

What is your main focus right now?

At the moment I’m back focusing on selling our clutter – I’ve just got married and in the run up to the wedding there wasn’t any time for an eBay store. Once things have settled down I’ll be looking for my next big ticket item. Selling on eBay, as well as other platforms? Veeqo can manage your inventory.

What are top sellers doing right now to increase their sales?

Marketing your eBay store is no longer confined to  just eBay – social media can play a large part in increasing sales.

How do you optimize your listings to ensure higher exposure with eBay search results?

There are many way, here’ a few techniques that I use:

• Using all (or as many as I can) of eBay’s 55 characters for titles
• Offering free postage
• Using good quality, clean photographs
• Filling in as many descriptive boxes as possible

How do you promote your online businesses?

Social media plays a massive part in it. For me, when I reached the magic number of 3,000 Twitter followers was when I realised that my tweets were having a great impact. There are some great tools out there, both free and paid for, that will automate all your tweets or Facebook posts – so I spend one to two hours a month coming up with content, many with links. Facebook is also a great tool.

What are some of the tactics used to ensure you are price competitive?

Obviously sourcing items for the best price is the main priority, but I can also keep costs lower by saving on packaging from buying in bulk. I have found some very competitive prices, often cheaper than using Royal Mail. [bctt tweet="Comparing prices to send parcels using @Parcel2Go helps me keep costs low"]

How do you manage all orders, shipping etc do you have a system in place and what tools do you use?

I have a dedicated eBay room, which you can see on Youtube. It took a long time to design, but I thought about everything I would need and where I would need it, whilst still making the room pretty and to my tastes. Apart from that, my mantra is “little and often”, breaking the tasks into sections and taking regular breaks.

If our readers want to learn more from you how can they get in touch?

I blog over at www.fromalditoharrods.com about all sorts of ways to make money online. All my contact details and social media links can be found there.