Scratching your way out of the price battle; how to sell commodities online at a decent profit

Selling online is tough stuff--don't let anyone pretend it isn't. Selling commodities, or anything that is plentiful and sold by a lot of people, is especially tough. The price wars can be vicious with sellers undercutting each other until the only winners are the customers.

I have been selling a lot of a particular product during the last few weeks at a fair profit. I found the product quite easily (at my local box store) and was surprised when I listed it that no one else was selling it. My assistant was ecstatic, we were selling several a day. I knew it wouldn't last long; it was only a matter of time until my competition caught on and listed it too. It happened a couple of days ago--I knew we had been "found out" before even doing the research because sales came to a screeching halt. I found him (or her) rather quickly, they had under priced me by one penny!

Now, no one accuses ebay shoppers of being loyal. They are usually on ebay for a bargain and the lowest priced product usually wins. I get that. But it is still frustrating.

What are the options when this pricing war starts? How can you stand out from your competition without slicing your margins?

1.) Stand out from your customers with great photos. If everyone is using the same stock photo, do something different to yours to make it a little different. Add text advertising your money back guarantee or add a border or use a different picture. Buyers are more likely to click on a listing that appears unique.

2.) Bundle your product in a different way. Sell two instead of one or include an accessory or two. Add value to YOUR listing.

3.) Give away free information relating to your product. Even if the information is easy to find, your taking the time to print it off and include it can add value and make your product worth more.

4.) Provide excellent customer service. Make your listing crystal clear and answer all questions right away. Brag about your customer service in your listing. Maintain the best feedback you can.

5.) Stay a step ahead of your competition by staying on top of the product lines. Introduce new items and get some sales in before you have a lot of competition. Offer the accessories and add-ons that other sellers don't carry. Be creative with your product mix.

Above all, DON"T GET DISCOURAGED! Ebay is a dynamic, fluid marketplace and creative and persistent sellers will always find a way to persevere.

Ebay's "About Me" Page

Ebay's "about me" pages are a GREAT place to tell your buyers about you and your business. Buying online can be impersonal and faceless and this is one way to connect with the people you are selling to. Take a few minutes to let them know who you are and what your business is about.

Your "about me" page is your chance to highlight your experience in your niche, your dedication to customer service and your selling policies. Make it personal and professional at the same time.

Buyers are probably not curious about your favorite TV shows or where you shop(unless it relates to your niche,) but they DO want to know when and why you are selling on ebay. Be honest--buyers don't mind if this is a part time job you perform between diaper changes and carpool runs. Tell them about yourself and keep it positive.

You are allowed to tell buyers about your own website or encourage them to sign up for your newsletter, but make sure never to bash ebay or ebay policies.

Post a picture of your family or your pet. You will never meet your customers in person and most buyers like to know something about who they are buying from.

Jim Cochrum at My Silent Team has extremely creative ideas about how to use ebay's "about me" pages to grow your sales and your customer base.

The Ultimate Ebay Book...

I have read every single book in my library and dozens more about ebay and how to sell on ebay. Many books offer insight and ideas, but one book shines as the best all-around guide for beginning, intermediate and advanced ebay sellers. It is Skip McGrath's Titanium Ebay.



This book offers some basics on getting started, but then it moves quickly into a hands on list of how, when, why are what to sell on Ebay. He has an entire chapter dedicated to researching markets, with specifics on how to tell if there is enough opportunity in a niche for a new seller to move in. He also has an entire chapter dedicated to finding inventory at auctions and another to working with wholesalers. The entire book is sprinkled with his success stories and ideas that have worked for him over time.

This book sits on my nightstand and has been my guide throughout the last year of learning to sell on ebay.

This is the ONE book you don't want to miss as a new (or intermediate) ebay seller.

Two EASY Ways to Get Your Listings Found in Google

Feel like your listings might be invisible in the tangled and complex World Wide Web? Wondering how to get buyers to find YOUR product amongst the millions of listings on the Internet?

Figuring out how the Google spiders operate is no easy task. Without overwhelming yourself or your budget there are two very simple things you can add to your ecommerce listings that will help them get "noticed" by the search engines.

First, label your pictures with keywords. The search engines pay extra attention to pictures and having your labeled with a keyword or a keyword phrase gives you extra "points." Naming your picture is an easy way to add value to your listing.

Second, put a keyword or two at the end of your listing. Search Engine spiders pay extra attention to what is printed LAST on your page. A quick sentence stating the name of your product or the benefits of your product using keywords can also increase your score.

Do you ship internationally? If not, you should!

Uggg--customs forms, foreign languages and long shipping times. Who would want to bother shipping internationally? Ebay sellers who want to sell more and make more do!

Ebay is global and it makes financial sense to ship your items worldwide. If you don't already offer international shipping, this change alone could increase your sales.

Buyers from around the world have access to your listings on the ebay US site but if you choose, you can gain even better foreign exposure by listing directly on the foreign Ebay sites. Look for the option in the List Your Item form on ebay.

If you are concerned about customs regulations, you can research particular countries and their restrictions on USPS.com. You can also let your buyers know right in the listing that they are responsible for knowing if an item is allowed through customs.

If you are concerned about shipping time, Canada and the UK are relatively quick. Australia is slow but reliable (the packages eventually get there.) France and Germany are quite slow and somewhat strict with customs. Brazil is VERY slow.

If you are worried about shipping times, start out shipping just to Canada and the UK.

Remember, foreign ebay buyers cannot affect your "top rated" status, but they can still bang you with negative feedback. Ship super quick and remind them of the expected time of arrival. Most overseas buyers realize that shipping times may be long. If you ship quickly and answer any questions, they are usually pretty patient.

I've always shipped internationally and am surprised to find sellers that don't. The best way to take advantage of ebay's huge audience is to sell to all of them!

FREE Things You Can Sell on Ebay

There are a lot of things you can sell on Ebay for no monetary investment--just a little bit of your time and energy.

SERVICES: There is a section in ebay titled "Specialty Services." Browse through it to come up with ideas. Do you have skills that may be in demand? Do you do copywriting, edititing, proofreading? Perhaps you have great design or HTML skills. What do you (or have you in the past) gotten paid for and how could you incorporate that into something to sell? Perhaps you are a whiz with accounting or taxes, you could list your services for online sellers or small businesses. Every one has skills that are unique or worth paying for. Get creative here!


TICKETS: Look at Ebay's section of tickets. Hundreds of tickets sell above face value every day on Ebay. You can buy tickets for a hot show or sporting event, it can be in any city, and resell them as the event gets closer. Watch what similar tickets end up going for and buy carefully. There is a lot of money to be made in ticket sales but make sure to study the market.

OTHER PEOPLE'S STUFF: You can quite easily become a trading assistant officially through ebay and be listed to do consignment sales. You can also solicit consignment sales on your own. After approaching friends and relatives, get creative. Call people who have items listed in the classified or on Craig's list. Many of these sellers want to unload their stuff but don't have the patience or inclination to sell on ebay. Consider approaching small businesses in your area. Offer to list slower moving items and split the profit. There are hundreds of small shops in every metropolitian area, you might be able to get a nice source on unique inventory.

Keep your eyes open and your pocketbook closed when first selling on ebay. There is a lot of potential profit out there at NO COST to you!

Quick Cash Generating Ideas!

Need to jump start your cash flow? There are endless ways to make some quick money. My cohort at My Silent Team, James Jones, has written a great ebook, entitled "101 Emergency Cash Generators." Members at My Silent Team have access to this book for free, or you can get your own copy for free right here. 101 Emergency Cash Generators


This ebook is LOADED with creative ways to generate money online and offline. It would be impossible not to make money using James's ideas. A few of my favorites:

Cash Generator #43 Garage Sale Sale Traffic Guru
Lots of people have garage sales every weekend. Their biggest challenge is getting traffic to the garage sale. Offer to solve this problem for them. Use the local newspaper to find where the garage sales are. Approach the garage sale host during the week prior to the sale. For $25, offer to place a bunch signs within a 10 mile radius. Have the signs printed up in advance leaving the date and time blank. Have the signs made up in advance leaving the date and time blank. If you score ten Garage Sales in a weekend, you can generate close to $250. (Remember to take the signs down when you are finished.)

Cash Generator #48 Professional Lint Remover Last year more than 15,000 house fires were started from the lint in people's dryer. Most people do not even realize lint buildup can be a problem. They often call their local appliance repair shop because they think the dryer isn't working right, when the problem is actually lint buildup. Cleaning dryer lint is quite easy (but most people have NO CLUE how to do it!) You need some simple tools--a vacuum cleaner with a hose and a chimney sweep with an extension pole (check you local hardware store.) To clean the dryer, disconnect the vent from the back of the dryer and run the chimney sweep all the way to where the vent goes outside. Loosen all the lint. Then vacuum it out.

This should be a very easy service to sell considering the safety issue. If you are not comfortable going door to door, you could sell it through flyers or ask the local appliance repairman for a referal. I imagine a person doing this in my neighborhood could CLEAN UP! Make sure you look very non-threatening and have a business card available.

Emergency Cash Generator #71 Christmas Wrapping This is one I have thought of before. I HATE to wrap. I find myself super busy at Christmas time and would gladly shell out a few dollars per package to have my gifts wrapped. Mr. Jones suggests marketing especially to men and advertising where men hang out, barber shops, dry cleaners, bars. There is money to be made here!

These are just THREE of the 101 GREAT ideas in the book 101 Emergency Cash Generators. There are dozens that will appeal to any personality.