There is a raccoon living in my apartment attic.
A raccoon that for the last 3 weeks, has been scratching and prodding the walls of my apartment home. No one knows how it got there, what we do know is that it travels through our air conditioning vents in an attempt to somehow make it into our apartment. As you might have already guessed, we have tried unsuccessfully to get rid of it. From setting traps outside to leaving the lights on in hopes of scaring it away. Anything we place in-front of this critter gets surpassed by its intelligence and determination. If we were to block access to one vent, it just finds it way to another. The plaster next to a few of our vents bear the battle scars of the raccoon forcible trying to punch it out.
As irritating as it is having to deal with this raccoon, I can’t help but admire it’s determination. It somehow reminds me of the mindset that ebay sellers must have in order to succeed online. The opportunity to earn a living selling on ebay attracts thousands of people hoping to strike gold and quit their daytime jobs for good. The stories of succesful ebay powersellers earning six figure incomes only add to this fervor.
The truth is, Out of thousands of aspiring new sellers, only a handful of them succeed.
You see, what a lot of beginners fail to realized is that it took blood, sweat and tears in order for successful powersellers to get to where they are today. Selling on ebay is no easy task and it takes a lot of passion to be able to overcome many obstacles that you face as a new ebay seller. Like the raccoon living in my attic, it didn’t matter if we blocked a vent, it was still persistent. Sometimes it would stay at that particular vent for hours, clawing and scratching, trying to figure a way into our living room. Once it realized that there was no way it was getting through, it would find its way to the vent in our bathroom and start there as well.
Many new sellers give up once they encounter an obstacle. Such obstacles can present themselves as very few sales, negative feedback due to poor communication, horrible product titles and more. Rather than learn from their mistakes, new sellers assume that they are just not cut out for it. The get rich quick mentality influencing new ebay sellers contributes to the downfall of many new ebay sellers.
Here is a look into the reasons why new ebay businesses fail and tips to avoid them.
Bad Feedback Rating- Ebay’s system works in a way that feedback rating is everything, both to a seller and a buyer. As a seller the success of your business depends on your feedback rating. Many incidents such as not responding to emails quickly, ignoring a buyer, not answering product or shipping questions effectively, or sending the wrong items can result in bad feedback. Take care to handle sensitive customers delicately or they will leave you with negative seller feedback at the drop of a hat. If you have more negative than positive feedback then you are deterring customers who check feedback rating before they even begin bidding. No one wants to buy from a seller who is clearly unreliable and unprofessional.
If you are a new seller, it is recommended that you purchase a few products on ebay to receive good feedback before you start selling. Having a little feedback is better than having none. Also remember to try as hard as you can to provide exceptional service to your customers. Even if you run into problematic buyers try to remain polite throughout your transaction. If a buyer gets a whiff of you being rude, trust that they will haul ass to your feedback page to rant about how rude you were to them.
Poor Title, Product Description And Photos- Over 60% of buyers use ebay’s search feature to find products. As a seller you want your product title to stand out from your competition and attract the attention of potential bidders. Your product title should also be straight to the point but also enticing and your photos must be clear and desirable. Once the buyer clicks on your item, your product description must also provide the necessary details about your product and answer any questions customers might ask. Weak titles, photos and descriptions will garner almost no attention from prospective bidders.
Click here for tips on how to take quality pictures of your items.
Poor Advertising- Like any other business, its not enough for you to just have your product up for sale. Advertising plays a big part in how successful your ebay business can become. It doesn’t matter if you have the biggest, baddest item on the market, if people can’t find it then you’re not going to be making any sales. Your description and title must contain relevant keywords that buyers use to search for items. Using rare or unknown keywords can hurt the chances of anyone finding your product. Make sure your product is also listed in the appropriate category. You usually wouldn’t put toy cars in the automobile section, you would categorize them as toys. If you are having trouble categorizing your product, take a quick peek at people selling similar items to see what categories they are listed in.
Underestimating cost of items- If you plan to buy items to resell, make sure that you do extensive research to find out how popular those items are with customers. It’s a horrible feeling purchasing items to resell only to find out that nobody has any interest in buying it. Don’t forget to also factor in the amount ebay charges you for seller fees to have an idea of how much you should resell the item. Many new ebay businesses fail because merchants miscalculate and lose more money than they are gaining. They simple can’t break even.
With these tips in mind, you now know what to avoid in order to become a successful ebay sellers. Remember that this is not for the faint hearted. Like the raccoon that is constantly evolving to overcome obstacles placed in its way, those who succeed on ebay are always resilient in their efforts to make money. No obstacle is too tough for them and it shouldn’t be for you either.
