Stampoffers has moved to Wensy.com
|
StampOffers.com Tips and Tools for Selling on StampOffers.com Whether you just want to have some fun, sell for profit, or sell to make money to buy more stamps, understanding some of the simple things will help make your selling experience on StampOffers.com more enjoyable. 1. The best types of stamps to sell on StampOffers.com Everyone wants to be able to sell their listings and lots of them! Fact is, it takes time. Time to understand what sells and what does not. Also, it could be what is hot this week will never sell again to the same degree. Therefore, finding what collectors are interested in is key. The first place to start is by visiting the StampOffers.com Stamp Chat board! Many collectors from around the world frequent the board. Letting these collectors know what you have to sell could spark some interest. Even if you do not advertise your listings on the board, there are many who post their want lists. The second place to look is the Top 25 Sellers list on the home page. These users are on the list for a reason; they are selling stamps! Take a look at what they are offering. Finally, there is a link in the quick links that will show items with bids.
Remember, many items on StampOffers.com sell as Buy It Now or Fixed Price
and therefore will never display in the list of items with bids.
2. Master niche market and specialize for success This is home plate for your success strategy. Find your own niche. Define your market. Then you can know the type of person you're going to be selling to and the types of product you want to sell. You will also have less competition.
3. Become an expert in your field Become an authority on what you do in your online auction business. If you sell classic US stamps, you want to be thought of before anyone else. When you become an authority in your field, a whole new universe of business and opportunity is opened up to you. Buyers wouldn't dare do business with anyone else, not when they have a proven seller who gives them just what they are looking for. Visit the StampOffers.com Stamp Chat and contribute to the community thus, reflecting your knowledge in the area you specialize.
4. Build credibility Be trustworthy. Remove every doubt about your credibility. You can do this through presenting yourself positively through your feedback, being passionately devoted to your listings and by being an expert. Create an About Me Page. A photo of yourself will humanize the online experience can bring amazing results.
5. Building a High Feedback Rating Quickly Buyers want to know they can trust the seller; especially if this is the first potential purchase. By building up your feedback, you are showing you are a trustworthy trader.
6. How to keep your customers happy and generate lots of positive feedback Customers want three things: instant gratification, clear, fast communications and to get what they were promised.
7. Set up a StampOffers.com Store StampOffers.com Store fees are very low. Place a clickable link in your auction item descriptions that invite people to view your store. Your store is set up just like the site with easy drill down to categories and searchable options as well. Be sure to use a catchy description that will grab a buyer's attention. Also, StampOffers.com heavily advertises the StampOffers.com Stores so you get traffic that could find your store. The more items you list in your store, the higher you climb on the list of stores. Can you be the first store that every buyer sees when entering the stores link?
8. Accept PayPal Many buyers just won't buy if you do not accept PayPal. Also, charging extra fees for the use of PayPal will drive buyers away; not to mention it is against PayPal's policy and could force you to lose your account if someone complains.
9. Use an email signature One great free way to promote your auction business is by using a signature. Signatures are six to eight line inserts at the end of your email messages. All email programs support them. You signature should include a description of what you sell and a hyper-link to your StampOffers.com Store or your about me page.
10. Start and end your auctions at the best times Do you always start and end your auctions at the best times? Start and end your auctions at peak traffic periods when traffic is the heaviest. Historically, the busiest times of the day on StampOffers.com are between 5 and 10 PM Central Time in the United States. The top three busiest days are: Friday, Sunday, and Tuesday. Remember, StampOffers.com allows you the option to start your auctions at any time. Therefore, list when it is convenient for you and yet still have your auctions end during the busiest moments! 11. Choosing a category Considering StampOffers.com has over 1000 categories to choose from, this should be a relatively easy process. But there is one important strategic trick you should know; buyers don't want to guess where the item may be listed. You would be surprised how many times items from South America show up in Central America or items from the British Commonwealth end up in Asia or Africa. 12. Always use a regional listing There are some people who only/prefer to buy from their local regions. When you pick a region, it doesn't limit your auction to a region, it just tells sellers from that area that you are nearby. There is no charge to use a regional listing.
13. Your auction headline and item description is where it all begins. Your headline is your advertising and your item description is your salesperson. On the web, how you're potential buyer perceives you and your product is everything. Be sure to use power words in your auction title (headline). Rare, Unique, Powerful, New, Unusual, Stunning, Top Notch, First Class, etc. Just be sure not to exaggerate. Don't call something "rare" if it is not.
14. Use keywords in your auction headline (title) and description Remember that a majority of the bidders find what they are looking for by using the search function. Be sure to use carefully chosen and accurate key words in your title and description. StampOffers.com gives you 55 characters in the title; be sure to use all of them. This will help you get hits. Important keywords include the Country, Catalogue Number (Scott's, Michel's, etc), and condition. NOTE: MANY users use the keyword notification to receive emails when an item of interest is listed. Therefore, use the title bar effectively.
15. Learn simple HTML commands to spice up your auctions Once you start selling take the time to learn a little HTML. Don't be afraid of HTML. Anyone can do it. For example, you should start all of your StampOffers.com auction item description with the command: <font size=+1> This will make your type larger and easier to read. It helps to break your item description into smaller shorter paragraphs to increase readability. Just use this command to create a new paragraph <P>. You can make your text bold by typing <B> at the beginning of the bold text and </B> where you want it to end. There are HTML sites all over the web to help you learn more. BUT WAIT!!! StampOffers.com offers an easy way to create effective descriptions with the implementation of an HTML editor. Get to know how to use this and spice up your descriptions.
16. Write complete auction item descriptions Make your item description as complete as possible. Include all relevant details: condition, age, collectability, any short-comings or defects, etc. What you think is not important - may be very important to someone else.
17. Increase bids by making your auctions readable Use a short opening paragraph that promises something - and then deliver on the promise. Describe the product; don't simply say "see pic". Short sentences are more readable than long ones. If you write a long sentence, follow it with a short one. Keep your paragraphs to less than 3 or 4 lines. Boldface important words or phrases. Include attention-getters: questions, news items, a guarantee or a promise. Ask for the bid at the end of the description. Use active verbs and enthusiastic language. 18. Have a written sales, payment and delivery policy to protect yourself and avoid misunderstandings Spell out everything you do. How much do you charge for shipping? How will you ship the item? What is your policy on insurance? When do you post feedback? Do you hold checks until they clear? The more information you give a buyer the better the buying and selling experience will be for both parties -but don't forget to make it sound friendly. You don't want your auctions to sound like a bunch of rules written by a junior high school principal.
19. Stand behind your product and service Offer an unconditional money-back guarantee on everything you sell; unless selling an item "as-is". The simple offer of a satisfaction guarantee will dramatically increase your sales. Even unhappy people rarely go to the trouble of sending something back. The cost of providing the few refunds will be far out weighted by the increased volume of your sales. At the very least offer a guarantee that your items are exactly as described and you will give a full refund if they are not. If you have a return policy (and you should) be sure and spell it out clearly at the end of your auction description.
20. Don't get greedy and overcharge for shipping Overcharging for shipping is one of the leading causes of negative feedback and a sure fire way to NOT get any bids/sales. You should only charge what it normally costs you to pack and ship. Buyers are sensitive in this area. They know when you are making a profit on shipping. You can charge a small premium to cover your cost of handling and shipping materials, but it should be reasonable. Always offer to combine shipping costs if a person buys more than one item. Explain your shipping policy in the item description. Not selling anything? Check your
shipping and handling fees.
21. Set your starting bid low to attract hits This can be a tough one on a site in which you are trying to build a following. Start off by listing your items at a fair price. If you get bids beyond that, great! Over time as you build a following, start lowering your opening bids to help create a "frenzy" over your items. Some of our top sellers have brought their customers in through word of mouth and are now reaping the reward. Do you have a good item that you KNOW will sell well? Start it off at a very low price. This will get you healthy early bidding. You want a large group around the item; some will be competitive bidders - people who will pay extra just for the thrill of winning. You'll usually get more for your item than someone who priced their item higher, because your auction has more bidders watching.
22. Use Fixed price Listings to increase your profits If you are a Low Volume Seller, or if you sell products with a low dollar margin, you may need to run multiple Fixed price Listings (FPL) to make a decent return for your efforts on StampOffers.com. You set the minimum price you are willing to sell for, and specify the quantity for sale. When someone buys an item, it sells right away. You can set your listings to run for 30-days with a auto relist up to 10 times. FPLs are similar to StampOffers.com Store listings, except FPL listings are found in search results, whereas store listings are generally not. 23. Be careful using the Reserve Price Auction (RPA) No one likes a reserve. Most people understand the necessity for it, but there are a large percentage of users who will simply not bid on RPA. If you know something will sell, then price it slightly lower than the minimum you will take. If you are selling a very expensive item, certainly place a reserve on it, but let the potential bidders know what the reserve is. It doesn't have to be a secret. The point of a reserve is to protect you against something selling too cheaply. Being open about your reserve can actually help you get bids. 24. Use Gallery, Featured, Bold, and Highlight to increase visibility These features cost a little so they are not appropriate for low cost items unless - but it has been proved that they increase both hits and bids. The gallery feature allows a significant increase in the visibility of your items. Gallery items show up on the home page when a user first enters the site. Gallery items are displayed with an image of your listing in the auction listings. Finally, StampOffers.com advertises gallery items with a direct link. Increase the visibility of your better items! 25. Use a hit counter to track
your auction The most important thing to know about an item that did not sell is: Did it not get hits, or did it get hits and did not get bids? If you are getting hits and not bids, then you know there is demand and interest in the item, but there is something wrong with your price or your description. If you are not getting hits, then there is either no demand or interest in the item or your headline stinks. StampOffers.com offers a hit counter and it is FREE! 26. Re-listing Strategies Did your auction fail? No bids, no hits? You can still re-list for free. Before you hit the re-list button let's look at what happened. Was the item over-priced? Was it in the correct category? Do you need a better headline or description? Is there any demand for the product you are selling? You can relist up to ten times for free it your item doesn't sell. If you keep re-listing and the item doesn't sell, check to see what is wrong. If others are selling your same item, and you are not -go back and reexamine what you are doing. 27. Use good photos and images in your auctions Digital cameras and scanners have become very cheap. Scanners are the preferred method for stamps and covers. On the more expensive items, it is highly recommended to provide and image of both sides. Large image files take forever to load and your buyer will click off to another auction instead of getting a cup of coffee while your 300 K file downloads. 28. What to do when you make a mistake in an auction? If an auction has not received any bids you can revise it. Click on the link "Edit or Delete Item" right below your auction title (this option is available only if you are signed in). If the auction has received bids, you can first cancel the bids and then cancel the auction. 29. Package your StampOffers.com
shipments professionally No one likes to receive his or her "treasure" in a battered envelope with no support. Take the time to pack your sales carefully. Invest in a bit or cardboard to act as a "stiffener" to help protect those stamps; in many case just a simple file folder cut to size of the envelope works fine. 30. Always include the auction
number in your emails Always include the auction number with the end of auction notice and any request for payment. Place the number in the subject line so you can easily track emails. People often bid on several items and can get confused and this is how they keep track of their winnings.
31. Find Wholesale Products to
Sell Stamp boxlots are sold all over the internet and through many stamp dealers who have brick and mortar locations. Buy a boxlot and break it down and list. Perhaps not all items are worth listing so create a smaller boxlot with those remainders. 32. Set up a web site and use it to drive business to your Stamp Offers. There are a few sellers who are doing this and experience traffic to the listings. Not only that, your own website allows you the ability to showcase your collection as well. 33. Over-communicate with your buyers When an auction ends, send your buyers an immediate email congratulating them and providing clear payment instructions. Send them another email when you ship the item (this really impresses buyers). Send them a follow-up email to see if everything went okay. This email should include the link where they can post feedback. 34. Build a mailing list of your customers Once someone bids on your auction, or sends you an email with a question, then you - not StampOffers.com, own that email address and you can communicate with that person in the future. Whenever you are launching an auction, send your existing customers an email letting them know. (Not every little auction - but for special hard to find items). Because someone actually purchased something from you, you now own that customer so it is not against StampOffers.com's regulations to market to them directly through email or from your web site. 35. Experiment for success Don't be afraid to try something new. Just be careful, you don't throw a lot of money into something that isn't yet proven. Try new products, new categories, new sources, new headlines, and so on. StampOffers.com is nowhere near being a mature marketplace. It is still growing and evolving. The rules change weekly. Don't be afraid to be a pioneer -just use a little caution when it comes to spending large amounts of money and/or time. 36. Where to get help with your auction questions You can contact StampOffers.com directly for any assistance. However, the StampOffers.com Stamp Chat board is a great resource for any question about the site or collecting. 37. What to do when someone doesn't pay? Fortunately, the hobby of philately has some of the most honest people. Very seldom do the issue of nonpaying buyers arise. However, there is the occasional moment where this does occur. Make sure you leave the appropriate feedback and notify StampOffers.com. Although StampOffers.com does not get involved in the transactions, the poor feedback is monitored and the continued unacceptable activity may result in the user being removed from the site. 38. Turn your inventory over often How many times you can turn your inventory over is the key to making high profits. Too many sellers get stuck with something that won't sell at a profit and they keep re-listing and re-listing and re-listing and re-(....you get it) until some day it eventually sells. In the meantime, they could have sold the dog at cost, and put the money into something that will turn over rapidly. Rapid turnover and re-investing your money back into more products is one of the long-term keys to success on StampOffers.com. If your customers come back and see the same items over and over they will eventually move to another seller. 39. Last, but not least -have fun!!! Enjoy the WHOLE StampOffes.com experience. Buy, sell, trade and post to the chat. Most of all, when the bidding gets hot and furious, remember it's just a piece of merchandise you are bidding on - it's not the end of the world if someone beats you out. As a seller this is a real joy!
| |