Making pictures less time consuming

I see tons of posts lately about what people do to take pictures for their eBay listings.  There are multiple ways people take photos and some ways work better for some than others.  I try to make my pictures as clear and concise as I can, but I also want to get them taken as quickly as possible.  Besides having a great and accurate description, pictures are probably the one thing that’ll get your item to stick out and sell.  If you have great pictures, especially a great initial thumbnail, then that will entice the buyer to click on your listing before anyone else’s.  Too many times I see people not putting forth even minimal effort to try and make their products look good.

The item is the focus! – Think about what people will see when they look at your photos.  Will they see your feet in the background, or maybe your leftover dinner?  Will the box look crusty and disorganized?  Will your cords and cables be a mess?  Take a minute to organize your item and try and make it look as new as possible.  No one will want to buy your item, if you don’t put the effort to make it look presentable.

Stickers and Goo – If you’re selling liquidated items or items purchased from a thrift store for example, then maybe there might be some residue or stickers on it.  Take the time to peel off the extra labels and goo.  If its stuff on there, use some heat and/or goo-gone to clean it up.  Again, a little effort goes a long way to make your item presentable and sold.

Efficiency – Not only should my pictures be clear and my items clean, what are some ways I can quickly take pictures?

• Phone – finish your listing on your phone by quickly pulling up your draft saved from a computer and snap pictures with your phone.  Once the pictures are added you can finalize your listing.  This is the method I use to quickly list on eBay
• Camera – some people take all their pictures at once of all their items their listing with a camera.  In-between each item as their shooting photos, they take a picture of a random item, so they know where each picture grouping ends for that listing.

Evidence – Not only do clear pictures help your buyers understand what they’re getting, but they also help provide evidence of the item should a buyer open a case on you.  Should I buyer open a case as item not as described (INAD), pictures provide stronger evidence that everything you described was accurate.  Did you take enough pictures to show all angles or all items that were included?  Did your pictures show the chips in the paint, or that it was a black scarf verses a red one?  All these details help you in every aspect.

Hopefully these quick tips help you not only become efficient and fast in your listings, but also help you create cleaner, crisper photos so that your items sell before everyone else!

-Chris

LiquidationOH@gmail.com

Buy my auctions and like items from www.liquidation.com

How to Take Presentable Pictures of Items for eBay

What Price Do I Start My eBay Auction/BIN?

The never ending debate at auction starting price.

There is a never ending debate at which is the right price to start their auction or buy it now (BIN) listing.  Many will say $0.99 with a reserve and others will say start it at a price you’re willing to sell it for.  Ultimately you want to start it at a price that will make you happy.  If you’re in a spot where you just want to get rid of an item then you will start the price differently than if its a high priced item and you cannot lose money on it.  There are many factors that I use to determine which price I will use to start my auction.  The name of my game is SPEED!

List at $0.99 (Auction) – I will only start my auctions at this price if i’m willing to let it go for that price or if I absolutely don’t care what it sells for.  Also if I know for a shadow of a doubt there will be a bidding war I’ll start it at this price.  You can also set a reserve price but that will cost more money.  This option is rare for me as usually electronics and tools will sell for a higher price.  I used to solely do auctions and list at this price but it was not profitable for me at all.

List $0.99 with Reserve (Auction) – RARELY will I list items with a reserve just because it costs extra money to use that feature.  Plus I feel that reserve auctions turn off buyers.  Buyers want their item and want it now, or they want to know definitely that they’ll potentially get the item after the listing ends.  If the reserve price isn’t met then the auction doesn’t sell.  This should only be used if you are willing to sit on the item potentially for a little bit and spend a few extra dollars on listing fees.

List at Lowest of Sold Listings (BIN) – I will search eBay’s Sold Listings on their filter tool when I search for comps. This option is under the filter link in the upper right hand corner of your phone or in the lefthand side of your screen on a computer browser (see bottom of snip above).  I will take an average of the sold listings and then I will look at current active listings and determine what the lowest price is.  I check both types because I want to make sure the sold listings match the items that are listed.  Sometimes people will inflate the listings for some reason.  If the lowest prices match what I’m willing to let it go for then usually I’ll beat the lowest price by $1 or $0.50.  I want to get rid of my items as quickly as possible so I can buy new auctions.

List Below Lowest of Listed Prices (Auction) – For my higher priced electronic or tool items I will start it at a price a little lower than the lowest buy it now price.  The reason for this is I want to excite people to bid on the items and drive the price up.  For example I sold an iPhone 6 for $304, but I started that auction at $275.  If I lost the item for that first price I would’ve still been happy.  Starting auctions at $0.99 seems to be the myth that everyone wants to do.  Its ok to start auctions at a higher price.

List Above Lowest Price Item (BIN) – I will start items a little higher than the lowest priced items if I’m willing to sit on the item.  For example if the lowest listing is $10, then I might list my BIN listing at $11 or $13.  Usually I will take a chance and hope to make a few dollars more.  If after a few listing turnovers if that item doesn’t sell then I will mark it down in my store’s markdown manager to try and move it.

The name of the game for me is moving my items as quick as possible.  I’d rather sacrifice a few dollars to get rid of the item verses sit on it for months.  If I get rid of product fast I can invest in new boxes as quick as possible.

-Chris

LiquidationOH@gmail.com

I know, returns are a headache.  We all hate dealing with returns but they are a part of the business.  Offering returns make all buyers feel better.  That they have the ability to get their money back if they don’t like the item.  I always offer returns on working items, but the way I handle them is different in any scenario.  How you handle your returns may determine your next sale!

Please return my item!
I will only ask the buyer to return the item in the following cases:

High Priced Item – If the item is high priced I will always pay for the item to come back.  My items are usually shipped for between $2 and $10.  If my item has a shelf value of $30 or above I will always get it back.  My items will always sell either functioning or nonfunctioning, so if the item was broken to begin with I will always make my money back.  Most of the time I will give the benefit of the doubt to my buyer that the item may have been defective if I missed something as all my items are returned items.  Always resell a high priced returned item.  You more than likely will get your money back.

User error: Even after I explain how to use the item the buyer might not understand how to work it.  I will always ask the buyer to return the item because I know I will be able to resell it.  Usually it is not worth my effort to argue with the buyer to pay for shipping to get it back.  I will eat the $2 shipping cost and resell it.  It is more important to retain my 100% feedback rating on eBay.

Just Because:  Sometimes I will ask the buyer to return a cheap item, or a broken item (even if I explained it was broken) for the sheer fact that I feel the buyer wasn’t being genuine.  I will eat the $2 if they return it, but 99% of the time I will offer a return and the buyer will NEVER return it.  Usually I will ever hear back from the buyer in these cases.  Eventually the case will close and I will get my money back.

Keep the item!
Here are some instances where the buyer gets to keep the item:

Buyer Vibe: Sometimes I will receive messages from the buyer that they are annoyed or are unhappy in general because of how the item functions or doesn’t function.  99% of its value is below $20 or so dollars, I will just tell the buyer the can keep the item.

Only if the item is a certain value or I feel the buyer won’t return the item, then I will ask the buyer to open a return case and I will send them a label.  Just as the above cases the buyer usually never returns the item.

It is more worth it to offer the return and keep your 100% feedback!

When and in what instances do you offer returns?

-Chris
LiquidationOH@gmail.com