Describing flaws:

If there is a flaw in the item you are selling, make sure you mention it. This is very important, because if your product has a flaw and you don't mention it in your listing, you could get negative feedback and a request for a refund from the person who buys the flawed item. A refund will lose you money and can hurt your reputation.

You don't want to be known as the seller who sells flawed products. A flaw is negative, it's a turn off. But it must be mentioned unless you want to lose money. But then again, the last thing you want to do is mention something negative in your listings.

That's why there is a trick to mentioning flaws...make the flaw sound positive. Make it a positive, make it a plus. How can you make a flaw positive? You can say "this product has a small flaw that has no effects on its functions, but because of this flaw you save big bucks!

When something has a flaw it's usually worth less, that is the obvious advantage of products with scratches or dents, their cheap! So if there is a flaw; mention it, but make sure you mention it as an advantage. Tell the visitor that they would be saving money just because there is a scratch.

If you simply mention the flaw, it will stand out among all the positive points like a sore thumb. You need to tell the visitor why they want the flaw, why your flawed product is better than a new one and what they would be gaining by buying your flawed product.

As a positive side effect, I’ve even seen some flawed products sell better than their competitor’s version of the same item, deemed to be “perfect”. This is especially true for items which are known to virtually always have flaws. I think the reason for this is because your mentioning of the flaw builds you up as an honest person, whereas the seller who claims to have a “mint condition” product might be more sketchy.

You need to tell the visitor what to think, you need to push the visitors in the direction you want them to go, towards you. If you have something that sounds negative in your listing, it will push the visitor away from you. So turn negative into positive, you can even have the flaw mentioned in your bullet points: - Small scratch on the top (saves you money!!).

If you don't mention any flaws or defects the item you're selling; you can be considered untruthful, a liar, a cheat, someone that rips people off and takes advantage of them. If you do mention the defect or flaw, you will be an honest, truthful and honorable person. Everyone likes and trusts truthful, honorable people.

If your visitors trust you, they will feel more comfortable. So don't be afraid to mention any defects or flaws that the product you are selling may have. By mentioning the flaw and using the advice I gave you, you can actually gain from the defect or flaw your product may have. You can gain trust, respect and cash!

PHOTOS:

Remember that when a person buys something from eBay, they don't actually get to see, inspect and try out the item they are buying. This is why good photographs are a huge part of attracting bidders. The better your photos are, the more likely it is that people will bid on your items. That is why you should have multiple photos of the item you have up for auction.

You need to show every part of the product in your photos, so the visitor can see what the product he/she is about bid on looks like. Remember, if the visitor was in a store they would get to see the product from all angles. Remember the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words".

On eBay its worth two thousand—at least! You need good, clear photos in order to maximize the efficiency of your listings. And to take good, clear photos you will need a good camera. If you want to sell small products like watches, jewelry, MP3 players, palm pilots and other compact products you will need to take very close up pictures, for that you need a camera that is cable of small detailed photos.

The pictures in your listings need to compliment the product you're selling and make it look beautiful. For that you need to take the photos in good lighting and at an angle that shows off your product's good looks. If your camera is of cheap quality, the pictures might turn out blurry. Combine blurry pictures taken at bad angles with bad lighting and your product can turn out looking worth half of your asking price.

Having clear, detailed pictures that compliment the product you are selling will create more value. Pictures that make the product look great will also grow the desire your visitor has to buy the product. Desire is big, and pictures that show the product in all its glory will definitely create more desire.

When taking picture of the product you are selling, your goal should be to make that product look like a million bucks, even if it's only worth $1. Some sellers try selling without photos, and their items still sell. They decide that since their items are selling, why bother taking the extra time?

This is a big mistake! It’s a well known fact that adding pictures will increase the number of bidders and will result in a higher selling price. Even if you could sell your items without picture, don’t do it. Use photos and maximize your profits.

SHIPPING, PAYMENT, GUARANTEE:

After you describe the product, you need to provide the visitor with a host of other information; shipping, payments, return policy etc. While most sellers don't pay much attention to the way they write their shipping and payment information, these parts of your listing can be a very important factor in bushing the visitor over the buying cliff.

SHIPPING and HANDLING:

The shipping charges can be a big deal to anyone that buys off of eBay. Nobody wants to save money on a product only to find out they are getting ripped off on the shipping charges. If you are making a profit on shipping charges you are likely losing profits in sales. A big shipping charge will be a big turn off to most people that visit your listing.

Your great item description that makes visitors anxious to buy your product can be completely useless if your shipping and handling charges are clearly a rip off. That is why it is important to charge the lowest possible price you can for shipping. You need to charge the absolute bare minimum you can for shipping and handling, if you do this many visitors will take notice.

Also, you can get in trouble if you charge exorbitant shipping fees. For example, if you charge $0.50 for an item but $10 for shipping, then it will be obvious that you are trying to make your profit from the shipping. eBay calls this practice “fee avoidance”, because eBay does not make a commission percentage on your shipping charges. If you get busted for fee avoidance, you could be warned or even banned as a seller.

No matter what others tell you, do NOT charge a flat shipping rate! I actually read advice on eBay that tells you to charge a flat shipping rate because "it will save you time." There are some cases where a flat shipping fee may be best, but many times it is a downright bad decision.

Flat shipping rates give the customer no alternative, it takes control away from the customer and that is not a good thing because most people like being in control. What you should do is offer the customer several different choices: regular (7-10 days), priority (2-3 days) or express.

This gives the customer control over how much they pay for shipping and how long they wait for their package to come. If you shop at most major online retailers (off eBay), you will see that’s how they do things. The reason they do it that way is because it works.

Control makes people comfortable, and remember what we learned: comfortable people are more likely to buy. You should also give shipping discounts if a person buys more than one item from you. This will give people a reason to buy more stuff from you and not your competition.

You will usually be able to do this without cutting into your profits because it is truly cheaper to send items packaged together than separately. I f you are selling high ticket items that make you big profits, consider paying for the shipping yourself. People love free stuff.

The word "free" is a very positive word and if you offer free shipping you will get to have a big "FREE" that catches peoples attention. Unless shipping supplies cut into your profit in a big way; you shouldn't make the customer pay for them. This is the "handling" part of the shipping and handling. You should always buy your shipping supplies in bulk, that way if you do charge a "handling" fee it won't be very noticeable.