My Auction Empires – eBay Consultants

How many ecommerce platforms do you sell on? For me I sell on three : 

• eBay
• Amazon
• Etsy

eBay is my first choice. This is where I started off back in May 2000, in fact it was May 20th 2000, yes almost 13 years ago and then over the years I have added Amazon and Etsy to my business. Yes I have tried others, some have worked and others have failed. But I always look at new platforms (selling venues) and ask myself will this work for me, my business and my clients.

For me eBay is where I spend a lot of my time as it works for the type of products I am selling at present. But in the next few months I will be working with two clients who have a large amount of media items that need liquidating. These will be added to the Amazon platform and sent into Amazon FBA.

But while I am listing if I come across any rare gems I will also add these to eBay. And if they sell on eBay before Amazon will use Amazon to deliver the product for me……………. this is makes life so much easier.  It allows you to run your business totally remotely.

Should we all be selling on all the different eCommerce platforms? No of course for some people eBay ticks all the boxes, others it is Amazon that does it and others still Etsy. Some people choose to list on two and others three or more. But the choice comes down to you and your business model.

Also you need to plan when you will start to list on a new platform. Never do it is your busy period – for most of my clients this is the Christmas season. But I do have a client whose sales drop of at Christmas due to their item being an outdoor sealant company.

As we move forward into 2013 and beyond we will be seeing third party listing software that will allow you to make one listing and then with a few presses of a button you can launch your items on different platforms and the software keeps track of everything.

These are exciting times and we will see many new companies come and go. Make a careful choice of the platform you wish to sell on and which ones you wish to add to the mix for your business and always ask yourself is this eCommerce platform right for my business and is it right for me with the time I have to work my business.

Remember with each new platform you choose, there will be a learning curve, some easier than the the others. There will be extra time in making up parcels (unless you use Amazon FBA to deliver everything, and then there will be the time to source all the new products……………… Fun times

In closing if you feel the time is right for you to move to a new platform and to expand your business take a look around ask questions, make a plan and then take action. But for me and a lot of others the three top ones are eBay, Amazon and Etsy. Each one very different but they all have very high web traffic which is what we need to make sales. 

I do not know if it is the time of year, the sudden hot weather we are having but I am seeing a common trend of challenges that people are having in their eBay and Amazon business. To start with I thought it was now and then but recently I have been seeing forum posts, emails, phone calls and when people speak to me.

So I thought “Is it time to get back to basics” No not the bare bones of how to to list on eBay and Amazon but the basics of having systems in place to help you get those items out of the boxes and bags they arrived home with you in and up onto Amazon and eBay.  Because while the items are sitting there in boxes and bags, they are not only gathering dust they are not earning you any money. And remember we started this selling on-line to earn some extra money either full time or part-time.

In today’s article I want to talk about getting back to basics with your eBay business and the next one will be about back to basics with your Amazon business. And like I said it is back to basics and the area we will be looking at is the listing of products you have bought. For some reason people find buying products easy, but then they hit a brick wall when it comes to listing them.

When I talk with clients one of the main barriers they seem to have is that they are over whelmed with items to list. They walk into the product room and are faced with boxes and bags, they walk  into another room and stacked behind sofas, beds and chairs. If this is you rule number one buy no more stock until you have listed some items.

Next you need to get back into a habit of listing items on a regular basis. I want you to set yourself a relistic goal that you can stick to and get done in  aday. For instance right now if you struggle to list a few items a week and say to me I will list 20 aday I will send you away to re-think. Yes in a few weeks that will be be fine you need to start small.

Often I will tell people to list say 5 items a day this for most people is achievable. If for some reason it is not list 2 items aday. And once you have achieved this goal for a few days try listing a few more and so on until you are listing a large number each day. But you know what if you do not meet your daily target, do not worry. Tomorrow is a new day, you can start from scratch.

And if you carry on listing for 30 days something strange happens it becomes a habit. It is a proven fact that if you do something for 30 days it becomes a habit – good or bad. 

• Rule One – No more buying stock until items have been listed that you already have.
• Rule Two – Have realistic listing goals. Set goals you know you can achieve and if you do not meet them, do not beat yourself up. Tomorrow is a new day.
• Rule Three – Do this for 30 days and it will become a habit, and this habit is good as it will earn you money.
• Rule Four – List every day.

I hope this article has helped you. If you are finding part of your business a challenge please send us an email or leave a comment below and we will answer it through an article (or if personal through email). So remember list every day.

A question I ask clients is “Do you have a listing system for eBay?” Very often they will yeah of course but items and then list them on eBay when they arrive.  Ok guess that is a system, and if it works for you go with it, but there is a way that I and others use that allows us to list more items easier and faster.

The method I have been using for well over 7 years now may seem long-winded but once you have used it, you will think WOW this really is a system that not only saves time but allows one to list items wherever they are in the world. But like I said if you have a system that works for you stick with it, and please feel free to share it below in the comments.

When I have been out product sourcing from Charity Shops, Discount Shops, Sales and Wholesalers I come home and relax for a bit. Then I split the items into similar piles – so for example I will have CD’s in one pile, DVD’s in another pile, Children’s Clothing in another and the list goes on and on.

****Side note ……… you can do the processes over a few days or day or three days it is up to you and the work load you have. But remember the longer the items are not listed on eBay the longer they stay in your home and not making you money****

Once the piles are done, next you need to take photo’s of the items and edit the pictures – cropping, adding a proper name to them, and making sure the shortest side is  at least 1600 pixels.

Then you need to write out the titles, description, shipping weight and cost and item specifics.

The main part of the system is now done, sitting in front of you on a computer, memory stick or in the cloud are all the items you need to list. You then go through the piles and list, list and list some more. By working through the piles and not doing a CD and then a cake tin means that after you have listed one CD you can just change title, any item specifics if needed, a picture and bits of the description. The rest stays the same (at times you have to change prices)

This system also allows you to list wherever you have an internet connection – coffee bar, park, gym. So you will never waste time again and you will find you can list a lot of items in less time.

From a very early stage parents, grand-parents, teachers have always pushed us to be the best we can and get to the next level. At times we might think why, we are happy where we are but when we look back on life we can see why these people pushed us.  They had the best for us in mind, but we did not see it.

The same goes for us now we have our own on-line business, we are plodding along making money most of the time we are happy, but very soon we fall into that comfort zone. Now there is nothing wrong at all being in that comfort zone and if you are happy making what you are making right now that is fine.

But maybe you are able to do better, and earn more money with just a bit more work and time. As a coach and consultant I find I spend a lot of time helping people get to that next level. That they can do it. 

So today can I encourage you to dust off your boots, and get ready to climb to the next level. For some it maybe just a few steps away, others you are a step away, while others still need to break camp and start the journey. “Success is a journey and not a destination” You ask every successful business person and they will tell you they are all on a journey, learning new ideas and concepts.

This weekend take some time, look through your business plan and make a plan that over the next months you are going to take action steps to take your business to the next level. And when you think you are there remember you are on a journey.