Sales Worth Celebrating

As the holidays approach, take a close look at your own eBay space--could it benefit from a bit of sprucing up? There are plenty of things you can do to grab buyers' attention and make them want to stay in your eBay Store. Think cheerful and fun for the holidays: Incorporate holiday graphics and write your text to position your product as the perfect gift. The holidays are a very important time to cross-merchandise--show complementary merchandise through the various steps of a customer's shopping "trip."

Also, make your site or storefront an inviting place where a shopper would want to linger. For ideas and inspiration, check out eBay's Best in Stores contest, in which eBay Stores are judged on their designs, the shopping experiences they offer and their marketing strategies. "There were so many amazing Stores that were submitted to [this year's] contest," says Clementz. Check out the winners for 2006 at www.ebay.com/bestinstores2006.

The holidays present a unique opportunity for eBay Store owners to acquire a whole new group of loyal customers. By making their sites attractive and easy to navigate, and by providing clear, close-up photos of merchandise, good prices and fair return policies, the best eBay Store owners keep their businesses growing robustly each year.

Having clear, easy-to-find shipping rates and dates as well as a holiday return policy is critical. Many sellers find that offering free or flat-rate shipping makes holiday sales run more smoothly and earns goodwill from customers. Another strategy to increase holiday buying is to offer multiple-purchase shipping discounts.

Most sellers offer cash or credit refunds for anywhere from seven to 14 days after purchase, but around the holidays, shoppers should be reminded that gift items must be returned by them, not the gift recipient.

Do everything in your power to encourage early shopping and expedite your packing, labeling and shipping tasks. It's smart to offer special services around the holidays, like gift wrapping and shipping directly to gift recipients. Take advantage of mailing programs like Endicia (www.endicia.com), which completely automates postage and label making.

"It helps to focus on a product that is easy to ship and that you can purchase at a good price," Ratz says. "Whatever you decide to sell, though, do it in a more professional manner than your competition. The trick is to get the customer to buy your products again and again." And with the busy holiday shopping season just around the corner, what better time is there to start than right now?

It's All In The Timing
HERE'S YOUR MONTH-BY-MONTH COUNTDOWN TO GET READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

August: Scour the summer trade shows to find product sources. Negotiate agreements on pricing and terms such as early buy/sell, which means you secure a low product cost and pay upon shipment rather than upon order. Study last year's sales for trends and purchasing patterns, and be sure to check both eBay's "Hot List" report (http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/whatshot.html) and the "Holiday Hot List" (http://pages.ebay.com/holidayhotlist2006).

September: Get your eBay Store in order by checking your equipment and stocking up on supplies like paper, boxes, shipping materials, label pouches and ink cartridges. Decide which items to promote or discount, and determine what other incentives to offer and when (such as free shipping with a minimum order, two-for-one sales and so on). Create a holiday listing schedule so that your listing durations decrease as the holiday comes closer, with the last listings closing eight to 10 days before Christmas.

October: Line up any helpers or additional employees you'll need. Keep close tabs on your incoming e-mails, and reply promptly to questions, requests and orders. Keep that feedback score high! Research your carrier options--DHL, FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service--to determine who has the best prices and business support. Consider a blend of carriers depending on package size and destination.

November: Take advantage of USPS pickup services to keep your shipments moving. Simply notify the post office before 2 a.m. the day your pickup is scheduled, and your carrier will pick up all Express and Priority packages for delivery.

December: If you have an e-mail opt-in list already, schedule some enticing last-minute deals for late holiday shoppers. If you don't have a list yet, make sure you are actively cross-promoting items and upselling your customers. In each package, include thank-you fliers with post-holiday specials. And be sure to keep track of the USPS' cutoff dates for merchandise to arrive by Christmas Day--check www.usps.com or visit your neighborhood post office for a list of dates.

Best Sellers
What will be the hottest products this holiday season? According to Carolyn Pollock, eBay's senior manager of merchandising and creative marketing, "PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii will be hot this year. Also, HDTV plasma and LCD screens, especially the 40 to 50 inch sizes." Pollock also mentions Blu-ray, the new DVD player technology; MP3 and camera cell phones; Motorola's SLVR and Sony Ericsson's Walkman phones; and Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean licensed toys. Other categories expected to do well include luxury brands, iPods, handbags, shoes and jewelry. Here are some ways to uncover other "hot spots" before the crowd.

Get thee to a mall. Study not only what's out there, but also shoppers' behavior. What are they looking at and talking about as they walk through a store? Chat with other retailers, who may be able to give you ideas for items other than what they carry.

Listen to your kids. The younger set has finely honed radar to detect the next hot item. Many of their fads tend to fade quickly, but some products might have longer-term possibilities for your business.

Read, read, read. Reading retail trade journals, business publications and consumer product catalogs will widen your horizon of product knowledge and could give you some great ideas for merchandise.

What Went Wrong?
This holiday season, be prepared for brisk sales--and also for those inevitable bumps in the road. It seems that for the most part, those bumps have to do with planning and organization. The following are some common mistakes eBay sellers make, and suggestions for getting back on track.

Wasting Time: Phil Dunn, co-author of 7 Essential Steps to eBay Marketing, says the biggest mistakes eBay Store owners make have to do with spending too much time on busywork like listings and shipping. Instead of writing individual e-mails for shipping confirmations, use Selling Manager Pro and Turbo Lister to automate many of your tasks.

Poor storefront presentation: You could have the highest quality product around, but if your eBay Store is unappealing, it can hurt business. Take time to create a nice, clean appearance for your Store, and make an effort to write your sales and description copy concisely and imaginatively.

Inventory mismanagement: Sourcing and ordering your products is especially crucial during the holidays. Sellers who wait until early fall aren't going to find the best products at the best prices. If you waited too long this year, make the best of your miscalculation and spend time doing research and building manufacturer contacts for next year.

Stocking products that don't sell: If you tried selling a product in a Fixed- Price listing but came up empty-handed, consider listing it in an auction-style format to recoup part of your loss. Also, test small batches of expensive merchandise to see how it sells before committing to a large order.

Dealing with overly demanding customers: Most sellers encounter relatively few problems with impossible customers. If you do suspect that someone is "playing" you, check with fellow sellers in the Seller Central Discussion Board for immediate suggestions on how best to deal with the situation. If you receive a negative feedback response and feel it is unfair, you can post a reply to help clarify the situation.