What Kind of Dress Is This?

Keywords are very important on eBay. You want your buyer to be able to find your item so it is imperative that you use the same keywords in your title and description that the buyer is searching for. I see a lot of questions on my Facebook group about clothing, especially the names of different styles of dresses.

If you ever find yourself in a bind trying to figure out a style for any type of clothing - shirts, skirts, coats, or jackets, head over to Pinterest and do a search for Style Guides. There is so much information on Pinterest about clothing you will be shocked! Everything you need to know is right there and it is very visual so you can find what you need quickly.

Just for reference, below is a Dress Style Guide so you can see the different styles and their corresponding names:

Selling clothing on eBay is a lucrative business. Thrift stores are packed with inexpensive clothing for the picking - lots of low hanging fruit that can be flipped on eBay for nice profit if you know what to look for. Learn more about selling women's clothing on eBay at these links:

Best Keywords for Selling Handbags on eBay

Why I Sell Ugly Shoes on eBay

Lumberjack Chic a Profitable Niche on eBay

5 Ways to Save Time and Money Printing Shipping Labels from Your eBay Account

 

Everyone can use more money, and we would all like to have more time. Save both using eBay's shipping workflow. Did you realize that if you aren't printing labels through eBay, you are missing out on discounts? That's right, for every package you don't ship through eBay's portal, you are leaving money on the table. And over time, the savings are substantial.

Take a look at the above screen shot from my eBay shipping screen - notice the savings? The discount on this one package was over $6! Here are reasons why every seller should be printing labels directly from eBay:


1. Save money with eBay discounts. Let's say you ship 50 items a month. Even if you saved $1 on each package, that is $50 a month, or $600 a year. What could you do with an extra $600 each year? Buy more inventory? Take a modest vacation? Pay down debt? Add to your retirement account?

2. Save time not going to the post office. This saves both gas and time. (And hassle if you have to take small children to you - who are notorious for falling asleep in the car as you drive into the post office parking lot!). Your postal carrier will pick up packages for free - that is their job. If you are just starting to need pickups, ask your postal carrier about how they like their customers to do things - where to leave your items, if you need to schedule online, etc. Every carrier is different. (Exceptions for not using carrier pickup are if you are on a rural route and cannot get pick up, or if you won't be home and don't want to leave packages outside unattended.)

3. Get free tracking. Both you and your buyer can access tracking information online through eBay.

4. Save time answering "Where is my package" questions. Many buyers know how to access the tracking info, or if you have to find it, the info is easily accessible through eBay.

5. Free reprints. Ooops, your 3 year old stuck the label on the dog. No problem. It is easy (and free) to reprint a label on eBay. (Find the item on your SOLD page, choose the MORE ACTIONS tab, choose PRINT ANOTHER LABEL. You will only be charged for the label that is actually scanned through the post office.)

So, if you aren't printing labels through eBay now is the time to start! Check out these free resources to help you fly along the shipping learning curve - you got this!

Download my free eBay shipping flowchart here.

Step by step instructions from eBay about how to print shipping labels. 

Using LinkedIn to Grow Your Business

Are you using LinkedIn? 350 million other users in 200 countries are. That's a lot of people in one place on a website to network with.

Some of you know that I am actively seeking a new career right now, in addition to selling on eBay and coaching. (It's time for a new adventure!) I have been taking classes on how to use LinkedIn and wanted to share what I have learned. If you aren't using LinkedIn to network and grow your business, it is time to learn.

LinkedIn is NOT a place to sell your eBay items. I can't stress this enough. Nobody will stay connected with you if you are constantly posting "buy my stuff" on your page. LinkedIn is a place to connect with professionals and network. You will meet all kinds of people that you can connect with others, as well as connections that could enhance your business.

Let's make sure you understand what networking means. This concept is often misunderstood. Networking is not about you, it is about other people and community. Give before you take. Learn what others do so you can connect people who can benefit each other. In turn, they should learn about what you do so they can made beneficial connections for you.By using LinkedIn, you could find:

Suppliers for products / opportunities to buy inventory
People who need help selling their items (consignment)
Information about community events, classes, seminars that could help your business
Local sellers to network with


A few quick tips:

Make your profile as complete as possible so you can be found in searches.

Provide a photo. People want to work with people not blank-faced avatars.

Use the correct keywords to describe what kind of work you do.

Make lots of connections - search for people you already know from different spheres of influence from your life such as extended family, neighbors, past and present co-workers, college and high school classmates, your kids friends parents, your healthcare professionals, etc.

Give and ask for endorsements and recommendations. An endorsement is where you recognize your connections skills such as ecommerce, internet marketing, or social media. Recommendations are written comments about someone's work.

Connect with me on LinkedIn here and feel free to leave an endorsement or recommendation. I am happy to reciprocate to help you build your profile.

Related Articles:

How to Use Pinterest to Market Your Business

Free eBay Shipping Flow Chart

How to Reduce Returns on eBay

eBay Seller Success Story $6,000 in Sales in 30 Days

 Mandy posted her numbers on my Facebook Group over the weekend with this message:

"Hit one of my goals of hitting $6k in 30 days on Ebay. Took 2.5 years to get here. Now my next goal is to get to $7.5K. This is just from mostly clothing sales. I'm at stay at home mom with 2 babies under 2. I am super focused with nap times and in the evenings. So nice to being able to be home with the babies and still have a good living! Thank you to everyone in this group, as this is where I started and was inspired."

Mandy and her husband Corey have really come a long way. They were coaching clients of mine a couple of years ago and were just getting started with their ecommerce journey along with a new baby on the way. With hard work and discipline, anything is possible. It takes some planning to work at home with two babies so I really commend Mandy for making it all work.

Here are Mandy's stats for the last 30 days:

1,202 items in inventory
280 items sold
$300-$600 average spent on inventory each month
Lists 99% of her items on Buy It Now 30 days or GTC

Mandy offers free shipping on most listings because "There is a filter for the customer to see only listings with free shipping. I dont want to be filtered out." She does not offer free shipping on larger items.

You can visit Mandy and Corey's store on eBay here to see the types of items they sell.  Looking through their feedback (they are Top Rated Sellers) you can see most items are priced under $30. This just goes to show that money can be made using the resources around you with consistency and dedication. Slow and steady really does win the race.

Congratulations for your amazing success, Mandy, and keep up the great work!

Are you ready to build an eBay business like this? Mandy (and many others like her) are proof it can be done.  Let me help you make money on eBay by:

Showing you how to get started. Learn all about selling on eBay with my eBay Basics Course. 

Showing you how to  diversify your product line. Thrift stores are packed with clothing and shoes you can buy cheap and sell for 3-5 times the thrift store price on eBay. Grow your knowledge base with these downloadable courses:

The Profitable World of Selling Preowned Women's Clothing Level 1

The Profitable World of Selling Preowned Women's Clothing Level 2

The Art of Selling Preowned Women's Shoes

Improving what you are already doing. I'll pinpoint exactly what you need to change to improve SEO (search engine optimization), customer service, and shine brighter than the herd of other eBay sellers. Sign up for a store critique here.  

See what these other sellers are saying and let me help you boost your sales today! eBay can be a full time gig, what are you waiting for?


Related Articles:

eBay Success Story - Karen Wilson

eBay Success Story - From Homeless to $250k

From Librarian to Top Rated Seller

4 Reasons Good eBay Descriptions are Important

If you are like most eBay sellers, you  want your items to sell on eBay, and you don't want returns or problems after the transaction, right? You want buyers to easily find your listings, right? And most of all, you want to achieve and keep Top Rated Seller status, right?

Spending a few extra minutes on your description will help attract more customers, reduce returns, and serve a a good insurance policy against INAD (Item Not As Described) cases.

1. eBay recommends 200 words about the product in the description area. This helps buyers find your items through search.  Even though you have information in the item specifics area (where you check the boxes), you still need to write it out in the description area so the search engine can find it. Keep text about policies, returns, and your personal rules to a minimum - the search engine is looking for words about the product. Here are tips from eBay for Basic SEO on your eBay listings.

2.  Measurements are very important on anything you sell on eBay including clothing, household items, collectibles, baby items, toys - everything. It is especially difficult to buy clothing (for children or adults) online without knowing the measurements. Buyers will compare a clothing item to one they have that fits properly. If a seller does not have measurements on the item, the buyer may not ask for them and may just move on to the next seller. Buyers don’t like to wait for answers, so try to provide everything possible up front. The extra few minutes you spend measuring an item can help you get a sale.

3. If a buyer opens an INAD case, the more information you have in the description area, the better. I have had INADs removed when the buyer claimed the item wasn’t described correctly, and called eBay Customer Service to show them that the information was in the listing but the buyer didn’t read it. Having enough of the right information in your description not only informs the customer but it protects your account.Remember, too many cases or returns for INAD affects your defect rating and eventually, your account.

4. It is just good customer service. You are a buyer, too, right? Remember the only thing between you and your potential customer is a computer screen. The buyer can't touch, hold, or examine the product like they could in a brick and mortar store. Your only tools are photos and words. You have the power to describe the product in great detail so your customer understands exactly what they are getting.

For more helpful tips like this, sign up for a store critique. I'll give you an in-depth review of your store, in writing, along with 30 days of email support for any other questions you might have after the review is done.

Related Articles:

How to Find the Price of an eBay Item Sold on Best Offer

Avoiding a Defect When You Can't Ship an Item

Understand Your Defect Rate Before it is Too Late!