How do you make your auction stand out from the thousands of other auctions on eBay? How do you make a person choose to buy your product rather than from your competitors? What makes some eBay auctions succeed while others fail? We will answer these questions and give a few tips for online auction success.
Your Feedback Is Number One
More important than any single sale on eBay is your feedback rating. In the long run, this is the number one determinant of your success or failure. If you have to give a refund in order to preserve your feedback rating and you’ll lose less than $100 as a result, you should almost always do it. Do not get a negative feedback rating for a small amount of money, even if you believe you are right.
Always provide top-notch service. Ship as soon as you get the order and answer customer questions within 24 hours. Make sure your customer’s experience is positive both before and after they have received their product.
Writing Your Headline and Sales Letter
Your headline and sales letter is your opportunity to shine and set yourself apart from your competition. The first thing to do is to look through all your competitor’s listings and see what kind of headlines and what kind of sales copy they are using.
Look through the sales letters as if you were a consumer, looking for the best listing to buy from. What kind of questions might you have that are unanswered? Why might you buy from one seller but not the other?
What are some things other sellers are doing to set themselves apart? For example, some sellers might offer free shipping, while others might offer bonuses. What might you offer that would set your product apart?
Once you’ve looked through your competition’s sales copy, it is time to write your own. Brainstorm at least twenty different headlines you could use, then narrow it down to the best two. Split test these two against one another. Your body copy needs to tell as much as possible. Many eBay sellers fail to convey enough information. Some go so far as to only copy and paste their website into their eBay listings.
Write out both the benefits and features of your product. If you have a unique selling proposition, so much the better.
Offer a 100% Guarantee
You should definitely offer a 100% guarantee and make it totally clear that if they have any complaints, they should come to you first rather than leave negative feedback. Successful sellers make it known that they are reasonable and can be worked with. They would rather give a refund than receive negative feedback. Not only will a 100% guarantee improve your feedback, it will likely also improve your conversion.
These are a few proven tips for improving your online auction success. Protect your feedback at all costs, look carefully at the ads of your competition, write killer copy and include a guarantee.
