As I was listening to my morning radio program, I had a thought concerning how people become successful. We've all heard the stories of how someone went from the depths of despair to being wealthy in a short period of time. We envy these people. We wonder why we can't do it. But the truth is, we can all do it. We just sabotage our own endeavors.
Speaking directly about an ebay business, I realize that most people who try to do an ebay business really have no clue of the potential they have sitting in their lap. Never before has there been a way for someone to start and own a business for little or no cash investment. There are virtually no barriers for people to create an income and take it as far as they want to. The problem is, everyone wants it now. We are impatient and have a short attention span. We have been conditioned to expect instant gratification.
The evidence for this is the amount of credit card debt US consumers have racked up over the last couple of decades. We can't wait to save the cash for something, we have to have it now. This carries over into just about every aspect of our lives. Just look at the car insurance commercials. It started with 15 minutes or less, and is now at 7.5 minutes. How long will it be before it is 30 seconds or less? If you are going to succeed and be able to grow your business to the level you want, then you need to learn how to have patience and to wait for the rewards.
We as a society could take lessons from immigrants who come to our country with not much more than the clothes on their backs. They live simply and save their money so they can achieve the success they came to this country to attain. They work long, hard hours and do what they have to do in order to succeed. We have been conditioned to expect quick results, and to also live beyond our means. I have been guilty of this as much as anyone. If you want to have an independent life and to also control your income, then you need to get back to basics and live simply. You need to buckle down and not just work hard, but you also have to do the research required.
I see people constantly asking facebook groups how to run their business. They refuse to do the homework. They refuse to do the research, and then wonder why they are not getting the sales others are. Knowledge that is not earned is worth nothing. Trial and error are the true methods of learning how ebay works. It varies from seller to seller and category to category. There are a ton of research tools available not just from ebay but also from third party vendors. But don't get caught up in the research so much that you are spending your profits just to pay for those tools. Be smart about it. Use the tools that make you a more profitable seller.
Constantly asking others what price you should charge does nothing to educate yourself on a products value. You will never learn value that way. I have spent years researching profitable brands. Why on earth would I want to give away that information? I earned that knowledge. It cost me time and money to have that knowledge. Asking me for that information is an insult to my hard work. It's time people started taking ownership of their business. If you are too lazy to look up a product to know it's value, then you have no business trying to sell on ebay. I'm sorry, but that is the truth.
This post isn't intended to degrade anyone, but rather to give you the honest truth and to hopefully motivate you to do what you need to do in order to be successful. Take a few moments and do an honest assessment of your situation. If you can't pick up an item and know it's value, or how to find it's value without asking an online group, then maybe you need to go back to square one. Learn research first, then move forward. You'll have a much greater success rate than relying on others.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
It's your fault!
You read that right, it's your fault. I see a flurry of posts, comments and articles about how Cassini and ebay are killing everyone's sales. While there is a smidgen of truth to that, most of it falls back on us the seller to adapt. We can complain all we want, but the bottom line is that ebay is a business, and they will do what they feel is in their best interest, not ours.
I see a lot of new sellers, and some veteran sellers, complaining about the lack of sales. If you are not getting sales, then you have not adapted. The goal of Cassini is to match as close as possible a good seller with the right buyer. So how can you get to the point where you are matched more often? Well, that seems to be the secret sauce that no one really knows the recipe for. But there are some things you can do to try and figure it out.
One thing I have learned over the years is to experiment. Because the one thing that runs true with ebay, is that what works for me may not work for you. You can't keep doing the same things and expect things to change. If you keep doing the same things you will continue to get the same results. So if you are not changing things, then you are at fault, not Cassini or ebay.
The first thing you should try is auctions. There is a reason why ebay keeps offering free listings for auctions. They want auctions. It is what they are known for. Adding auctions to the mix will increase views almost immediately. Now that's not to say it will increase sales. That part falls on you to have not just the right items, but to have them priced accordingly. With auctions, don't just run them at 9pm at night. Try different times of the day and days of the week. You may just find that the people looking for your item are not on at night. They may be on first thing in the morning, or during lunch. It's up to you to figure it out.
Another thing I constantly preach is to list, list and list! You can't expect to make $2,000 a month if you only have 100 listings. While it can be done, it is a long shot at best. You should have at least 20 items newly listed and ending each and every day. You want to show up in newly listed and ending soonest searches. The goal is to get as many listings in as many search slots as you can. Missing some of them can mean you don't get the sales.
When you do experiment, make sure you do it for a month at a time. You can't expect instant results. It takes time to get things lined up in the search results. Ebay is not a get rich quick scheme. It takes work, sometimes hard work to get the results. Those of us who make good money at it have done it for a long time and have learned to adapt. We also recognize it is work. Most full time sellers treat it like a job. They are disciplined enough to do what it takes to succeed. If you are lazy or are looking for the quick, easy buck then you are going to fail.
The bottom line is to find what works for you. Once you do, don't rest easy, because as soon as you do ebay will change things and you'll be behind the eight ball trying to catch up. It's just like a good relationship. Keep things fresh and interesting and it will last.
I see a lot of new sellers, and some veteran sellers, complaining about the lack of sales. If you are not getting sales, then you have not adapted. The goal of Cassini is to match as close as possible a good seller with the right buyer. So how can you get to the point where you are matched more often? Well, that seems to be the secret sauce that no one really knows the recipe for. But there are some things you can do to try and figure it out.
One thing I have learned over the years is to experiment. Because the one thing that runs true with ebay, is that what works for me may not work for you. You can't keep doing the same things and expect things to change. If you keep doing the same things you will continue to get the same results. So if you are not changing things, then you are at fault, not Cassini or ebay.
The first thing you should try is auctions. There is a reason why ebay keeps offering free listings for auctions. They want auctions. It is what they are known for. Adding auctions to the mix will increase views almost immediately. Now that's not to say it will increase sales. That part falls on you to have not just the right items, but to have them priced accordingly. With auctions, don't just run them at 9pm at night. Try different times of the day and days of the week. You may just find that the people looking for your item are not on at night. They may be on first thing in the morning, or during lunch. It's up to you to figure it out.
Another thing I constantly preach is to list, list and list! You can't expect to make $2,000 a month if you only have 100 listings. While it can be done, it is a long shot at best. You should have at least 20 items newly listed and ending each and every day. You want to show up in newly listed and ending soonest searches. The goal is to get as many listings in as many search slots as you can. Missing some of them can mean you don't get the sales.
When you do experiment, make sure you do it for a month at a time. You can't expect instant results. It takes time to get things lined up in the search results. Ebay is not a get rich quick scheme. It takes work, sometimes hard work to get the results. Those of us who make good money at it have done it for a long time and have learned to adapt. We also recognize it is work. Most full time sellers treat it like a job. They are disciplined enough to do what it takes to succeed. If you are lazy or are looking for the quick, easy buck then you are going to fail.
The bottom line is to find what works for you. Once you do, don't rest easy, because as soon as you do ebay will change things and you'll be behind the eight ball trying to catch up. It's just like a good relationship. Keep things fresh and interesting and it will last.
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