Mistakes to Avoid in your eBay Auctions

Online auctions continue to grow in popularity as an easy and efficient way to make money on everything from unwanted household items to rare and expensive collectables and even to bulky items like cars.

Log on to eBay and you will see countless auctions on any item you can imagine. As eBay auctions grow in popularity, it becomes harder to make money with your auction because it often gets buried or overlooked with all the competing auctions in the same category. Therefore, to make money on your auction, it is important to set your auction apart and avoid common eBay auction mistakes. Here are 3 important mistakes that you must take note of:

1. Wrong product category or product category not specific enough. As it is relatively simple and inexpensive to auction an item, many sellers simply do not put in enough effort researching the market. The result is the auctions are put up in the wrong category. This would be tantamount to pitching your deal to the wrong market.

However, if you are marketing your product in traditional channels and paying money for your promotions, you are likely to do a lot more research and legwork. If you want to earn a serious income, then you should not treat your eBay auctions any differently.

To research, find the best eBay category to put your product auction in. If you are selling coins, eBay shoppers do not have the time to search all 38,000 plus auctions put up under the category of coins. You need to define your product category as specific as possible. You will then target the true eBay shoppers that are likely to be interested in your auction.

2. A blurred or ugly looking image. Be sure your eBay auction has a clear professional looking image. Pay heed to the saying "A picture speaks a thousand words". Also, don't forget to ensure that your image file size is not too large. If the image takes minutes to download, the typical eBay shopper is bound to skip your auction.

3. Incomplete and unclear product description. Be sure to give a detailed and precise description for your eBay auction item. For instance, you can give exact dimensions of the product or give specific details about the condition of the second hand item. An incomplete or unclear description is not likely to attract bidders for your item.

All in all, the best exercise I can suggest is to visit your Ebay auction and honestly ask yourself if you would be even tempted to put in a bid for this product.

If the answer is no or even probably not, then change it. If you are passionate about your auction and take the time to make it professional, your auction is likely to stand out. Make the effort to do it right and you are likely to have successful auctions.

Evelyn Lim is an online publisher of a FREE newsletter aimed to help all aspiring home based business owners. She also hopes to equip her readers with skills on acquiring multiple sources of online income. To subscribe to her popular newsletter, please visit http://www.e-bizmap.com or her blog at http://www.EvelynLim.com .

Gold’s Gym auctions memorabilia
Bizjournals.com, NC - 16 hours ago
The public will be able to pick up pieces of memorabilia at an auction of Gold’s Gym equipment this weekend. Everything is being sold at Saturday’s auction ...

Overstock.com Set to Enhance Auction Site
MarketWatch - 28 minutes ago
announced today the online retailer is undertaking initiatives to enhance its online auction site ( http://www.auctions.overstock.com) for the fourth ...

"Drive It Now" -- Car Payment Advertising for Online Auctions ...
MarketWatch - Sep 4, 2008
CINCINNATI, Sep 04, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Automobile Consumer Services, Inc. (ACS), announced today, a new service that gives vehicle sellers who list ...

Kimball announces details for Ind., Ky., land auctions
Evansville Courier & Press, IN - 11 hours ago
By GREG ECKERLE JASPER, Ind. — Kimball International will sell 27212 acres of its forest, agricultural and pasture land in a three-day auction Nov. ...

Postcards from the Pug Bus (satire)
UPDATE 1-"No panic signals" from Freddie debt auctions
Reuters - Sep 2, 2008
"Freddie Mac saw demand ebb week-to-week in its bill auctions, but there were no panic signals in the results," according to IDEAglobal. ...
Freddie Mac to sell $4B in two, five-year debt Forbes
Freddie Mac sells $3B in two-year debt CNNMoney.com
Freddie, Fannie shares rise on debt sales BusinessWeek
International Herald Tribuneall 176 news articles

Plan to auction NY airport slots riles up airlines, politicians
Atlanta Journal Constitution,  USA - 21 hours ago
To address the problems, federal officials have capped the number of New York flights and want to auction takeoff and landing slots to boost competition and ...

Power of .ME -- Get Ready for 1st-Ever Public Auction
MarketWatch - Sep 3, 2008
ME Registry will commence auctions for its premium domain names. This means the general public will have an opportunity to secure sought-after . ...
Auction Central News Launches Online Resource for Arts, Antiques ... MarketWatch
all 16 news articles

Record number of homes go to foreclosure auctions
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - Sep 3, 2008
Auctions take place every weekday except holidays at 1:30 pm Compared to this time last year, foreclosure sales are up more than 300 percent, topping 600. ...

.ME Registry Offers Two Auctions
Web Host Industry Review - Sep 4, 2008
ME domain extension, announced on Thursday it will launch two auctions for its premium domain names, starting September 25, giving the general public the ...

Former Ally Bush Fights Airlines With New York Flight-Sale Plan
Bloomberg - Sep 3, 2008
The agency says the auctions would let startups enter the largest US air-travel market and spur carriers to fly bigger jets as part of a plan to reduce ...

Wind Chimes and more...

Windchimes for great gifts!

Search... Search... Search Your Way To eBay Cash!