Archive

In the last month I have moved the information products that I sell on eBay from the Business section to Everything Else- Informational Services. This is the category that Bay say that all informational products should placed in an I have to admit that this does appear to have resulted in increased sales.

In a recent entry in the Community page eBay stated that they will terminated any listing that they consider is in the wrong category. This is a reversal of the policy thy used to have of moving a listing into a category that thy felt more appropriate.

I don’t know if you have listened to eBay radio yet? If no, there is a link on the home page of www.ukauctionline.co.uk. You can access the archives and there are some interesting interviews in the archives. Another program that you can also access through the same link is the Entrepreneur Magazine – How to make money with eBay.
This program is presented by the 3 eBay girls. Again if you have half an hour to spare it is worth a listen.

I am very sorry but due to reasons beyond my control the workshop on 24th April has had to be cancelled. Everyone who signed up for this event has now had their money refunded. I really am sorry about this because I was really looking forward to meeting many of you there.

Late News Just in. eBay.co.uk are holding a Penny Gallery day on Thursday 15th April. You can use the Gallery feature for 1p instead of the normal 15p.That is quite a saving. It will give those eBayers who have not tried the Galery feature before a chance to test it.

Dave Bromley

Contents:
1. Adding Audio to your Listings
2. Clear The Decks
3. Extra Reading
4. Final Thoughts

As I have mentioned before in Auction Line the use of audio inserts into your online auction listings can have a powerful positive effect on your sales. In fact if you look at the listings on eBay.com it is becoming more and more common to see an audio insert .

This is in part due to a company called TalkinAuction which has developed a system to record and include an insert into your listing. They have become eBay certified developers and offer a record and insert service. For details of their services go to www.talkinauction.com. Membership is free but they charge 50 cents to record a message and either 25 or 50 cents to insert it depending upon whether it is the same message going to all your listings or an individual message to just one. His appears to be a popular service in the USA were they already have over 25,000 signed up members.

I have contacted the owners of TalkinAuction and they tell me that you can use their system in the UK. Mark Bortz told me that the phone call for studio access is to Nashville, TN in the USA If you record a file and upload it, there's no phone cost!
He also told me that they have had users from UK use TalkinAuction in the past.

Using audio can add spice and attract attention for any listing. I believe that it can help you build up a stronger relationship with a buyer and give you a competitive edge. If the product you are selling has a story it is often easier to tell it than write it down. Even a simple audio message such as “Don’t forget to visit my About Me page” can be effective.

Another American service that I use is Audio Generator. The audio tutorials that accompany Auction Line are recorded using this system. I also use it for sending out audio postcards and other promotional items. This service costs $37 per month which may be a little too much for someone who just wants to use audio for auction listings.

From what I could see there did not appear to be an equivalent UK based service so I got my techno wizard, Tim on the case and guess what? He came back and said “Did you know you can add as much audio as you want for free?” And do you know he was quite right.

Basically once you have been shown how, this is a relatively simple process that anyone can use. In fact we were so impressed with it that we have produced a brand new “how to” audio video program that will take you step by step through the process.

“Audio For Profit” comes on CD or can be downloaded directly from the Internet and consists of 3 sections:

Section One: Video Presentation. Takes you step by step through the process and shows you exactly what to do.

Section Two: An audio presentation on using Audio on the Web effectively.

Section Three: Printable manual to keep by the side of your computer to guide you through the process.

This programme is in fact so new that it has not been offered to anyone else yet. We are still working on the sales letter that will go up at www.audioforprofit.com. As I write we have not even finally decided on the sales price for this program although at the moment $29.95 (approx £15) is looking favourite. However I could use your help, I need some testimonials to add to the sales letter and so I need some people to look at the programme and tell me what they think of it. If any subscriber would like a copy of this program both as a downloadable digital product and as a CD you can buy it for just £9.95 (post free). All I ask is that when you have viewed the program you drop me an e-mail telling me what you thought of it. It is this feedback that helps us improve our products and service.

To get your copy at the very special price go to www.ezeeweb.co.uk/audioprofit and type in the entry key username: auctionline password: 5438. Make a note of this as without the keyword and number you will not be able to buy Audio for Profit at the special price.

Other useful links

Talkinauction

Audio Generator

Offer of the Month

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Online Auctions: Maximum Profit in Minimum Time This hour long Audio CD by Dave Bromley looks at the problem of finding enough time to carry out all the jobs needing to be done if you are to make a good income from online selling. He looks at ways to save time and increase profits and how to run your business in 30 minutes a day. Discover how to separate the essential from the desirable. This CD is available with resale rights. More Information

Are you a tidy person or someone who leaves a trail of debris in your wake as you pass through life? I have to confess to not being one the worlds No 1 “Mr Tidy”.
I usually start off with the best intentions but somehow my workspace quickly becomes engulfed in paper and I spend half my time searching for something I have just put down.

Sometimes I try and console myself with the fact that tidy people must lead very boring lives but I don’t rely believe this is true. When the desk finally disappears under a mountain of paper I spend half a day having a clearout. Now you may be wondering what all this has to do with auctions. It I simply this, the other day I was browsing though some auctions and I came across some listings that appeared as cluttered and messy as my desk top.

If you have just bought something at a car boot sale and it is a one off you can get away with just scribbling off a quick listing and hoping for the best. Even so it would have been better if you had put a little thought and planning into it first. You probably would have got a better price for it but if have a product which you intend to offer on a regular basis you should plan your listing carefully.

I have often talked about the need to include keywords in your title so we will take that as read today and move on to the actual description. First of all take a blank piece of paper and write the key points about your product. At this point it worth remembering that who ever reads your listing will at last subconsciously have only one thought in their mind. “What’s in it for me?” and the better you can answer that question the more bids you are likely to attract.

Ask yourself this question. “What benefits does this product give a potential buyer?
Will it save them time or money, does it add to their prestige or self esteem? Every product must have some benefits or otherwise why should anyone buy it.

List the benefits in order of importance. This should give you an outline for your listing - Just one word of warning, many people confuse benefits with features.
For instance your product may be made out of the finest quality steel but that is a feature. The benefit might be that “it will last you a lifetime”, hence saving you time and money.

Sometimes listing can be rambling one paragraph affairs that are very difficult to read. In a listing ideally paragraphs should consist of no more than 2 or 3 lines. Don’t as I have seen in some listings start with the product, then introduce details about shipping and packaging and then go back to the product again.

Photographs are an important part of any listing and you should make sure that the photographs that you use are the best quality possible. I save my photographs with a
resolution of 72 dpi and a maximum size of 400 pixels on the longest side.

One of the best ways to improve and tidy up your listing is to browse the auction sites and view the listing of the Power Sellers and in fact anyone who is attracting plenty of bids for their auctions.

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Audio Tutorial - Dealing with the problems

When the web turns into a net of deceit

OFT offer guidelines for online auctions

This Months Special Offer

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Final Thoughts

I see that in the USA and Canada eBay have introduced some new features into their free Turbo Lister program but are also introducing some charges in connection with using Turbo Lister. I have to admit that having read through their handout I am not totally clear how this is going to work. It is being introduced in the USA on the 12th of this month and for Canada on the 29th. I have no doubt that it will in the fullness of time be introduced into the UK as well and I will keep you informed.

It is a few months now since charges were introduced for eBay shops. I would be interested to know how the changes have affected Auction Line subscribers. Have you got an eBay store, did you cancel your store when charges were introduced. How did this impact your eBay sales? Drop me an e-mail and let m know or why not go on to our forum at http://forum.ukauctionline.co.uk/. In fact whether you are totally pleased or cheesed off with the service you receive from any of the online auctions why not tell the world through our forum. We accept no financial support from any auction or accept advertising so we are free to tell it as it is and within the bounds of good taste so are you.

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Money Master Magazine Money Master is a subscription only Business Opportunity magazine, that is published monthly. Editor "Shirley Garlick" is a committed eBayer and in consequence there are often interesting and informative articles about eBay in the magazine. If you would like a sample copy, send four x 1st class stamps to: Ezeeweb Solutions Ltd Office Suite 5 Poplar Road Business Centre Cleethorpes DN35 8BL

Visit the UKAuctionline Forums at http://forum.ukauctionline.co.uk/