Ensuring the Success of Your eBay Auctions

• The most common reason is that the item is not in high demand. This problem can be avoided by doing the necessary research to determine which items sell well, and which items should be avoided. This research can take a great deal of time – but when you consider what can happen if you don't do the research, you will surely find that it is time well spent.
  
  
• Another reason that auctions fail is pricing:
  
  
  • Regardless of what your reserve price is, your opening bid price should never be more than about $50. If your opening price is too high, it will simply drive people away: they won't even click the link to read the description. Conversely, a low initial price can generate lots of interest and attract many bidders.
    
    
  • Another common pricing problem is lack of research. Before you set your reserve price, you really should know what your item is worth, and how much this type of item tends to go for on eBay .
    
    
  • Shipping and handling prices are another thing that can scare people away from auctions. If these prices are too high, even if they are a small fraction of the cost of the item, people tend to feel they are being taken advantage of. It's therefore best to hunt around, so that you can offer the lowest shipping prices that you can find, and even consider paying for the shipping yourself. Additionally, you should not charge handling fees - and make clear in your listing that you are not charging handling fees.
  
  
• If your description is poorly written, this is another thing that can put people off. Poor grammar, misspelled words, and unclear explanations, simply drive people away. Remember, your item description is the key to getting people to want your item: and they won't want it unless they know exactly what you are offering. Finally, don't forget a picture is worth a thousand words - and a good quality picture is worth many times more than poor quality ones.