My thoughts on Selling times, Is Sunday the best?

Sellers always want to know the best time to list auctions. Me too. The only problem with this question is that there is no answer. Because if there were an answer to this question than it would only be relevant for a split second because everyone would list all of their items at that exact time making any other time better.

There are several factors that go into the timing equation.

There could be more, I'm no expert. Competition. Sometimes listing among your competition could be good, other times bad. I carry a particular line of dreeses that at any given time there are about seventy to a hundred of them listed at auctions from about ten different sellers. Just a rough estimate, but about 60% of these listings end on Sundays. So, my first thought was to NOT list mine on Sundays, and I did this for awhile. However, these dresses consistently get a higher price when I DO list on Sundays. AND, I sell more of them from store inventory on Sundays as well. The only thing I can think is that because all these other sellers have been listing on Sundays it makes customers SHOP on Sundays. It is a curious thing.

Customer Base- If your primary customer is a blue collar worker than you probably won't sell much if all of your auctions end on weekdays during working hours. This, as all theories go, is also not an absolute.

Product - what you are selling makes a difference too. Like that dress I referenced earlier, it sells well on Sundays but the men's T-shirts I sell do well early in the week. So, this has to be taken into consideration too.

Location - your location as well as the location of the customer makes a difference. I sell several brands that are very popular in the UK and Australia. I can list these brands very late at night or even early in the morning because my target is in a very very different time zone than I.

So, basically I just wrote a bunch to say that there really is no answer. Each product and each seller will have their own 'best times' the difficult part is trying to discover them!

Judge Judy sticks it to ebay Scammer

I just found the funniest video on youtube! Judge Judy is awesome in how she doesn't take any crap from idiots. I know if you are someone reading this blog, than you are someone who enjoys making money on ebay and people like this chick really hurt our business. GO JUDY JUDY!

I finally figured out how to add Skype to my auctions

I have been wrestling with this stupid skype thing for so long and have wasted so many working hours trying to get it right. Well, I think I've finally done it. Notice that I said "think"? I am not completely certain of the working capability or my ability to ever do it again, but here goes.

First, you must set up skype by downloading it onto your computer and signing up with a skype name. This is completely free click the logo (it will open skype in a new window)

Well, it is not COMPLETELY free. There are services that they offer that ARE free but of course, we all need to make a living, so they have paid services as well. What you want to use it for on ebay though, really is free.
You can call computer to computer worldwide for free. What costs money are the specialty stuff like calling actual phones.
Video calling from computer to computer is free too! We use this to talk to my inlaws in Africa so they can see the baby.
Anyway, back to ebay. So, where were we? Ok, so you've downloaded Skype and now you have a 'SKYPE NAME', this is what you need for ebay. Go into your my ebay page and under 'My Account' click on preferences. Now scroll all the way down and then click the edit link in member to member communication preferences. There is a spot there to enter your skype name. Do that and then you are ready to roll.
Now, you can go back and revise your auctions and it will give you an opportunity to include skype. And, when you go to list your next auction with the SYI form, it will give you a choice to add skype.
Personally, I really hate to talk on the phone and most of the time I am not presentable enough to be seen using the webcam. So, I've set mine to only use chat. It will give you an option to click 'chat' and 'voice'. You can click one or the other, or both.
If you do chose to use voice, it will not automatically run the webcam. Once you are in a connection with someone you will have the option through skype to turn on the webcam or not.
And, obviously, if your computer doesn't have a microphone and you don't plug one in, than the voice option is not an option for you. Ebay won't know this, so you'll have to only click 'chat'.

I am not sure yet about wether or not different listing services have skype available yet. I know that auctiva has not yet added it, but I am sure they will soon. Feel free to post here and let us know if your provider offers it or not. Maybe a little publicity on the subject will get someone working on it.
Feel free to skype me if you need extra help.

Shipping solution to save you time on shipping International

I must tell you, I really over-did it last night so I am not moving very quickly today. What a horrible way to start a new month!
Anyway. Since I am not having such a good day, I'd like to refer you somewhere.
You simply MUST check out this company if you are an ebay seller. I could go on and on about how much time they have saved me, but instead I'm just going to give you the link.
(Click the picture)

Halloween Sales on Ebay - tips for selling Costumes

October 31, 2007
Today, is Halloween. For me it is an ebay breather! I've been selling Costumes and I have plenty to write about this ridiculous experience too. I don't even know where to start. I guess I could start by reflecting on what I learned in the process.
Costmes are a category where the "immediate payment required" feature MUST be used.
Time tables for shiping needs to be at the top of the listings
a cut off time should be used for shipping
cross promotion is a must
very very clear policies are needed
1. "Imediate payment required" is a feature that I have never used before and now, after a season of selling costumes, I will never sell a costume again without it. Costumes, are something that brings people to ebay who may not have ever shoped at ebay before. This is a wonderful thing, however, it can be troublesome sometimes.
Here is the scenerio. Customer is frantic. They really want to be XXXXXX for Halloween but can't find the costume anywhere locally. All their friends and co-workers say "have you tried ebay?" because they know, you can find "it" on ebay! Great advice, however, searching for something that you need to have arrive in less than 3 days when you have never bought on ebay before is a dificult thing to do.
Here are some of the problems I encountered that would have been avoided if I had used the "immediate payment requrired" feature.
a zero feedback customer purchasing 2 of the exact same costume because she couldn't figure out how to "make the system accept a check"
countless non-paying buyers who just take the item out of the system and don't respond in any way to invoices or emails
"oh, nevermind, I found a cheaper one, I'm going to buy it instead of this one"
2. Shipping time tables. Even though ebay so conviently lists the time tables for USPS and UPS, even if they are the only two that you use, customers need to be told. I don't intend to be catty, but sometimes what seems obvious to me, is not to others. I have the time that it takes to ship Priority, Express and UPS ground listed in my TOS, and ebay has it listed with the options, and I have it spelled out on the FAQs that pop up when someone clicks to "Ask Seller a Question" and I STILL must have answered the question "Will this get here by Halloween?" a dozen times a day. I am pretty sure that my neighbors wonder about me because I scream at my computer on a regular basis.
3. Time cutoff for shipping. I ship daily and I advertised that in the listings for costumes because I knew it would be important because everyone needed their costume by a certain time. I very quickly ammended this because I'm on the east coast and I would get emails over and over asking me why their item shipped the next day instead of the day that they paid when they had paid me after 5PM EST. A three hour time difference doesn't seem like it would make that much difference, but it can! I then stated clearly on EVERYTHING that payment had to be received by 2PM EST in order to get same-day shipping. And of course....I still got the question..."if I pay for this today, when will you ship it?"
ARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!