eBay IE: Christmas 2005: Sell

The Christmas rush happens on eBay too, but not just the shops! Many sellers will be trying to sell their items and those who have taken the time to think about what buyers really want are likely to get the most bids.

Make your titles very clear
Include a Gallery picture
Offer Buy It Now
Consider offering PayPal
Offer a number of postage options

We go inside the mind of a buyer to get some ideas on how to structure and present a listing so that they find it both attractive and clear.

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Think of the way buyers shop for items. If they have something specific in mind then they are likely to search on this term. Also, sometimes people will only want to buy a new item as a gift, so remember to say whether it is new or used. Sizes and colours are also important to include in the titles. In this example, Grainne might type in "Ireland rugby shirt large new". If you had written a title such as: "Men's Ireland rugby shirt L - Brand New" it would show up. Grainne sees 10 shirts that match the description.

Once the buyer has entered the search terms, a list of items containing those items will show up. Some of them have pictures next to them, but not all of them. Which do you think she's most likely to look at first? Research has shown that items that include a Gallery photo are likely to sell for 20% more than those without.

Grainne decides to have a look at the four listings that have photos of shirts.

Grainne wants to make sure she gets the shirt in time for Christmas, so she carefully reads the content of the remaining four listings. Three of the listings offer a Buy It Now price of €45.00.

Buy It Now gives buyers the chance to purchase an item instantly for a fixed price, instead of having to wait for a set period of time as is the case with an auction-style listing. At Christmas time, when people are wanting items urgently, it's a great idea to use the Buy It Now format.

Of the three Buy It Now items, there are two that offer PayPal as a payment option. They both state that Irish users can pay by cheque too. Grainne has both a PayPal account and a cheque-book, but given that she wants the shirt as soon as possible, the PayPal option seems best.

PayPal allows Grainne to send money for free. The payment will arrive instantly into the seller's account which means he can send out the item to her almost straight away. It's a good idea to offer PayPal in your listings - it is very popular with eBay users worldwide and means that users all over the world can pay you easily in Euros. There's no need for any currency versions and it takes no time at all - unlike paying in a cheque. It may be a good idea to offer alternative payment options.

Grainne has found two listings that meet her requirements. One is from a seller in Kerry and the other is from a seller in Sligo. The Kerry seller states he will send by Swiftpost Priority Delivery and details the costs, while the Sligo seller says to contact him for more information.

Grainne decides that she'd rather go with the seller who offers the fastest shipping option, so she decided to purchase the Kerry seller's shirt straight away.

She can also search for items with the Get It Fast logo.

It would be helpful to tell buyers what your last posting date before Christmas is, particularly international buyers.

			Grainne pays for the item straight away using PayPal. The seller packs up the shirt that evening, taking it to the Post Office the next day. He sends it by priority post and two days later the shirt arrives on Grainne’s doorstep.