Monday, August 4, 2014

Pick Suzanne's Brain

 

Thanks for submitting your questions over the last month. Here are a few I've seen duplicated, so maybe these issues are on your mind, too.

Disadvantage of using Best Offer Auto Decline

Phil, Sarah, and Beth asked, "I use Best Offer on a lot of my listings. I am never sure whether to use the auto-decline feature and how to set my auto-decline price."

Well, I use Best Offer on about 75% of my listings, too. I personally don't use auto-decline because you don't get the opportunity to pull the buyer up on price. (As a buyer, I don't care for auto-decline, I feel like the seller is slamming the door in my face.) I always counter offer, and many times the buyer and I will go back and forth until the buyer has raised his counter offer considerably and is within a few dollars of my original asking price. If you use auto-decline, you don't get the opportunity to negotiate and you can lose sales. For example, I had a pair of children's boots (that I paid $3 for) priced at $29.97 plus shipping. The buyer offered $10, I countered with $25, they countered with $15, I countered again with $25, they countered with $20, I accepted. I was able to get them to come up $10 on their offer price with a little negotiating.

Should I have a niche or be open to selling anything?

If I had $1 for every time I was asked this question! There are two schools of thought on this. Many eBay mentors and coaches say the only way to go is with a niche. Specialize. Don't even think about selling it if it isn't in your niche. Keep your store all matchy-matchy and in the same category.

I strongly disagree,especially if you are a picker. The more you know about different kinds of items, the more money you can make. When I go into a thrift store or to an estate sale, I'm not going to leave things behind because the items might not match the other stuff in my store. If you are taking time out of your day to go to a thrift store, auction, estate sale, or even trash picking, why not make the most of your effort and consider anything that crosses your path - you are already there,  you taken the time and effort to go and find things to sell, make the most of your time picking.

One reason a lot of people choose to specialize is because they are afraid to move out of their comfort zone and try something new. They think they have to be an expert to start. Wrong! Every expert was once a beginner who knew nothing. That uncomfortable place where you aren't sure - that is where growth and learning happens.

For example, here are a few of my sales in the last month. A mix of different kinds of products with pretty good profit margins - I paid between 60 cents and $3 for each item. Never stop learning!


I wish I had time to answer all of the emails I get every week, but it would take me about a month to do that! If you have a question about your unique business, want to know more about what to sell, or are ready to start an eBay or Amazon business, contact me to set up time to chat. This way I can learn all the details about your business and give you the most out of my 11 years of ecommerce experience. 

So just click here to make an appointment, and we will get chatting soon!

Related Articles:

Increase Sales by Using Best Offer

83% of eBay Sellers Do This - Do You?

21 Ways to Boost eBay Sales


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