Making a Good Impression
The quality and appearance of your first auction listing will make an impression on prospective bidders. If you have an item they want and you have done a good job on your listing, you will soon start drawing bidders. Some of them may seek you out again to see what else you are selling.
For each item you post, keep copies of all documents, including your auction pages, e-mails, and shipping records. Send each winning bidder a receipt, and keep all paperwork accessible in a filing cabinet or three-ring binder.
Your job is not done, however, once your listing is posted. Some potential bidders may e-mail you with questions. You should answer them promptly, with attention to the details of their requests, and maintain a pleasant manner even if they question your honesty or make demands for more proof that something is vintage, valuable, or rare.
After your item is posted, if someone points out an error or omission in your description, you should make the corrections as soon a possible.
Errors in content and spelling can make many potential bidders suspicious of your item. If you don't trust your own spelling and grammar skills, get help from a friend or relative. Don't be embarrassed to get assistance. The most important thing is to get the description right so bidders will start showing up and making their offers.
The “making an impression” portion of your job will not be over even after you have sold your item, collected your money, and shipped the package to the winning bidder. Be sure to thank the winner, post appropriate feedback for them on the auction site, and get right back to work on your next listing. You want to start building momentum for your new business.
Once your first auction ends, you may expect to hear from the winning bidder right away. Don't be surprised if you don't get a response for nearly a week. On eBay, a seller cannot file an Unpaid Item complaint until at least seven days have passed and attempts to communicate with the winning bidder have failed.
No Bids? Don't Get Discouraged
What if you gave an auction and nobody came? It happens all the time on eBay and other sites. Some weeks you can post something and no one viewed it or bids on it. Other weeks, you may have ten people frantically bidding on it at the same time.
Remember, many bidders wait until the final minutes of an auction to place their bids. During the days before the end of an auction, they search for interesting listings. If they find yours and think they may want the item, they will keep checking the listing to see how the bidding is going. They may show up as one of the “watchers” of your item, or they may stay in stealth mode all week and suddenly appear with a bid at the last minute.
If your first item seems to be drawing little interest, don't worry about it. Start working on your next auction listing. If the first item doesn't sell, try again with the same item — now or later. Meanwhile, post your next item, too. You've already learned how, and you've mastered the basic process. It's now just a matter of a little more time until you make your first sale.
