eBay is a very competitive place in case you are new to the selling platform. Sellers can see each other’s prices and searching completed listings gives all buyers an idea of what an item is truly worth. And there is like a gazillion different sellers on eBay. If you plan to actually make a profit on eBay long term, you will need repeat buyers.
That makes eBay similar to most businesses. Repeat buyers are the life blood of many businesses. There is the need for the random buyer to an eBay sale, a car wash, or even a beer store. But having regular customers that you can count on is a big key to success. It costs a business person about seven times more to get a new customer than it does to keep a current client. That is a general rule of thumb for any type business. A bird in the hand being worth seven in the bush, in this case.
So how can you get customers to come back to your eBay store again and again? It is not easy. It takes work, creativity, and consistency.
First you need a simple marketing plan. Just set up a plan of action and stick with it. Read a couple of marketing books and blogs to get an idea of how to get people to buy from you. Guerrilla Marketing is a good book to cover general principles. Seth Godin has some terrific books on marketing as well. His blog is free and covers enough points to make you better than most folks on eBay at getting repeat buyers and new ones. Once you have a better idea of how to market, then implement a few ideas. Simply putting your listings up and hoping for the best is not enough. A fun description of your item helps. Great photos are a key also.
You need to be creative in your eBay ventures. I can’t tell you exactly how you should stand out from the rest. That is up to you. Just look around at other sellers’ listings. They are likely very similar to each other. It is not hard to use some creativity to make your listing stick out from the masses. Once you do make a sale, then you need to make it a memorable one. Ship the item fast, make sure it is as you describe it, and maybe put a hand written thank you note in the package. Be sure and put a link to your eBay store in the note so they can find their way back again. Maybe a sticker with the link would be a good idea as well.
Being consistent is the best way to keep buyers coming back for more on eBay. Try different ideas to see what works best then do that regularly. Ask buyers to add you to their “Favorite Sellers” list and ask them to sign up for your eBay newsletter if you have one. Make it as easy as possible for buyers to use your eBay store again and again.
