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.