Secrets of the eBay

246 Secrets of the eBay Millionaires
eBay millionaires do this sort of thing all the time. They cross-sell (they
promote other product they have for sale even as someone is viewing another
item for sale). They upsell—after a purchase is made, they say, “Would you
like something more?” and offer similar, complementary items for sale.
Remember that you’re not just an eBay seller, you’re a real salesperson. You
can approach your customers directly, after they make purchases from you,
through a special mailing that you send out to announce new products or
special sales. Cultivate your customers and induce them to return to you so
they can purchase more. Loyal customers are the best resources you have as
an e-commerce merchant.
Step 9: Market Yourself and Your Business
One aspect of being a “real” salesperson is the care with which you market
your online business. There are thousands and thousands of eBay Stores and
web sites. Chances are yours is not going to stand out from the crowd unless
you do some advertising. When my brother first started an audio restoration
business through a web site, he got a few visitors to begin with. But he didn’t
get any inquiries until he paid a few hundred dollars to a service that would
submit his site to the major search engines and indexes to the Internet.
You should do the same: Value your business enough to make an
investment in it. I know how hard it is to cut into your hard-earned profits
and “gamble” money on advertising that may or may not pay off. But if you
do nothing, your chances of success are low. If you at least purchase a few
keywords with eBay or Google, you give yourself a fighting chance to get
noticed and, by extension, get more customers.
Step 10: Sell in More than One Venue
Of the 28 PowerSellers interviewed in this book, I can only think of two or
three who sell solely through eBay auction sales or an eBay Store. The vast
majority have a web site, a brick-and-mortar store, or other auction venues
that they use to reach the public in addition to eBay. Once you get a solid
foundation on eBay—in other words, once you have found a niche and
come up with a system for making sales consistently—you can and should
branch out to other venues.
At the very least, you should create your own web site, which gives people
a way to find out more about you. If you want to really make a splash, do any
or all of the following:
● Create an eBay About Me page.
● Link your About Me page to your web site.