A post by a seller on a well known site asked other sellers, "What type of research are many of you talking about?" in response to several posts about sellers needing to do research to determine which things they should sell. I responded that it was a "great question" and it certainly was -- but it also leads to more questions. Once you start any research, you will have questions. Then research for the answers to those. And so on.
Because I made a lot of mistakes when I first started selling, I would suggest anyone that has product enough for an online selling venue, an eBay store, or a website, take the following steps before jumping in with both feet and listing all your items:
1) Purchase some items online yourself. On some sites this helps with the feedback numbers too. Get to know the process of what your customer will go through. What types of checkouts do you need to go through. There are many checkout programs that irritate the crap out of me. All I want is what I purchased, but with some I must go through 15 minutes of advertising and attempts to up-sell me. Remember your feelings as you shop, when you purchase, when you wait for an item, when it arrives, how it is packed, what else is included with your item. During any time from your searching for the item to when it is in your hands and you use it, if there are any bad feelings, think about how you felt and implement steps to avoid your customers feeling that way when they purchase products or services from you.
2) Go to http://labs.ebay.com/raghavgupta/demoto/to and research your title for every item you offer for sale.
3) Shipping Cost. Research the best way to ship every item you list before you actually list the item. On lighter weight items, I have never received low shipping seller ratings where the customers choose how they want it shipped. If it is a 10 oz (shipping weight) item, give them the choice of 1st class, priority mail, and express mail. Many of my customers will choose the priority mail for a couple bucks more to assure they get the item quick. In the past I had a flat rate and gave only priority mail for several items, and I noticed those are the items that knocked down my shipping rating at the beginning. It has been hard work to repair this early error, and the results of errors like this are very visible to all on eBay. If your rating gets too low, eBay can limit your selling ability! Just know, eBay sets HIGH standards to have your store, so a simple mistake in the beginning may take quite a while to get corrected. Watch your 30 day average DSRs.
4) Research:
http://pages.ebay.com/university/index.html?_trksid=m37
5) Read:
http://www.skipmcgrath.com/auction_sr/77-tips-tools-selling-ebay.shtml
6) Make sure you are making money:
http://www.newlifeauctions.com/calc.html
7) Specific research: If you know what you are looking for, search the OSA articles, and on various selling site forums, to find out how successful sellers have answered your question(s). Still have a specific question? Post it on the OSA forums, and/or the forums offered by your selling site (and perhaps others!) You will normally get quick responses to specific questions on the various discussion boards. It is a feature worthy using.
Of course your mileage may differ. It often depends how much you are willing to put into it.
[Paul is the owner of Tile Work by Paul, INC (dba: Tile Works) and sells on eBay in his store Tile And Carpet Works. He can be contacted by email at: paul@tileworkbypaul.com]
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