The lazy days of summer are almost upon us! For most people, summertime means fun in the sun and relaxation. For eBayers, it can sometimes mean a slowdown in sales, as family vacations and trips to the beach pull buyers away from their computers.
Try implementing the following strategies to ensure your sales remain strong during these hot summer months.
First of all, try relisting any fixed-price items that have been on eBay for more than a month and are being "watched." When you relist an item, watchers receive an e-mail informing them that the product is back on the market. This can help spur fence-sitters into making the purchase.
When you relist, add the Best Offer option to any listings that did not include this feature the first time around. You might even want to increase the price of some of your products before adding the Best Offer feature if you think the items are valuable but haven't found the right buyers. I did this with one of my listings a few weeks ago, and the product ended up selling for the asking price within 24 hours!
The link connection
Focusing on links is another strategy that may help your sales stay strong. If you're a store subscriber, add a store link to all your listings. This will encourage buyers to take a peek at your other items.
My sales are stronger when I run both auctions and fixed-price listings
Also include a link reminding people to sign up for your newsletter. This will help you grow your e-mail list. In addition, customize your end-of-auction e-mails and invoices so that they include a reminder for buyers to subscribe to your newsletter. The number of buyers on my newsletter e-mail list increased dramatically after I took these steps.
Finally, don't forget to include a link to your About Me page in every listing. Some eBay buyers really enjoy getting to know sellers. (I'm pretty sure that's why QVC is so popular!) Check out this listing to see an example of how to implement this strategy.
Another way to bring in more sales is to take advantage of both the auction and fixed-price formats. Most of the items I have in my eBay Store are best listed at a fixed price. However, my sales are stronger when I run both auctions and fixed-price listings. The reason is auctions are short and get a boost in search results when they're about to end.
If you include the three links mentioned above in all your auctions, your fixed-price listings will get more visibility.
Hold buyers' attention
You may also want to try slashing prices on stale merchandise. If you have a store, take advantage of Markdown Manager. My sales always go up when I reduce prices using this feature. Having a sale is a great way to make room for new products!
In addition, try boosting business by including a business card magnet with every package. Not many eBayers do this, but I'm proof positive that this can work. When I need a plumber or I'm looking for someone to fix my air conditioning unit, I always use the same two companies. Why? They both gave me magnets. These magnets are stuck to the filing cabinet in my office.
Cost-cutting tip: Order blank, do-it-yourself magnets on eBay to save money.
Finally, include a coupon good for a limited time only with every product you send out. This will encourage people take a second look at what you have for sale—before it's too late!
Summertime doesn't have to mean a slowdown in sales. Use these techniques to help keep your summer sales hot!
Miriam Otto is an eBay educator, based in Northern California. Miriam sells more than 500 items per month on eBay, and finds most of what she sells at yard sales and thrift shops. When not teaching eBay classes or running her business, she enjoys writing about her latest "scores" on The eBay Life blog. In addition to living "The eBay Life," Miriam works as an independent study teacher helping adults earn high school diplomas.
Opinions expressed here may not be shared by Auctiva Corp. and/or its principals.
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