New to eBay. Need to sell more: HELP

[isokernus]

I'm an intern for a company and they put me on a project to sell obsolete materials here on eBay. Most of these items I am listing at very competitive prices, but I feel like people don't buy because my eBay account is newer and not trustworthy. How can I increase traffic and make some more sales.

[titipeo]

New accounts tend to be magnets for scammers. Be careful when a buyer ask for your email or phone #, as they will steer you to take the sale outside ebay and submit fake payments. 

Getting traffic is not that easy as this is an open platform and we are all competing against each other. However, having some unique items certainly help. We all started as a new account and as time went on, we build up our profile. Remember that there are other venues where you can sell as well, some are local and are free of charge. Good luck. 

One final thing I will say, you indicate that you are an intern and are selling this on behalf of your company, keep in mind that you are responsible for the tax consequences. 

[dhbookds]

Since you are working for a company and presumably it's their account, it could be hard........but would probably help if you (the company) could buy somethings to up the feedback ratings..........

[bonjourami]

Have you weighed and measured those items packaged? With that $15 shipping on everything, you are most likely going to lose money on the shipping fees.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@titipeo wrote: ... you indicate that you are an intern and are selling this on behalf of your company, keep in mind that you are responsible for the tax consequences. 

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That depends on whose bank account the eBay funds are transferred to.  This should be set up with the company's bank directly receiving the funds, and the intern's name and personal info not connected in any way.

[onefootflipper]

If that account is in YOUR NAME then shut it down right now. It has to be in the company name or you will have terrible consequences come tax time. The IRS will expect you to pay income tax on all those sales. 

Second, I see you are charging exactly $15 for shipping on basically everything you are selling. You might as just roll the shipping price into the item price at that point.

Third, most of your items are extremely specific and are looking for the right customer, a construction customer, in the off season. I used to install fireplaces and we didn't do many of them in the winter, it was too dangerous to climb up on those half-built roofs when there was the threat of slippery conditions. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

The listings look pretty good. More photos might help, especially for pricier open box items. Buyers want to know exactly what they're getting.

Are you sure you're charging enough for shipping? I'm not familiar with FedEx, but most carrier have surcharges for large items.  You might get more traffic if you add "Local pickup" in your shipping options.

[sextons-sweet-deals]

Almost sounds like the O.P. got caught up selling for someone else and will get burned

[isokernus]

Do you have an example of what we could get to up feedback?

[isokernus]

It is to the business account and in their name.

[isokernus]

Account is setup by the business not my own personal account.  I appreciate the concern.

[bonjourami]

You could purchase some small items to build up your feedback.

[ckimodog]

@isokernus 

You're going to be adding your own money to the shipping costs for some those items.  I would weigh, measure and then change the price of shipping.  You can also use calculated shipping for what ever area you are shipping to. 

Good luck. Happy Holidays.

[bonjourami]

Op should absolutely be using calculated shipping, hes going to lose his shirt on all those $15 shipping fees. Looks like he picked that fee out of mid air.

[djvp53 · Accepted solution]

It looks like you have three sales so far. Follow up with the buyers and ask them if they are happy with their purchases and the sales process. If so, ask them to please leave feedback on eBay. When I ship items, I always include a message in the package asking buyers to leave feedback if they are happy with their purchase or to contact me if they have any concerns.

Get some positive feedback by buying cheap shipping or office supplies from large sellers who give automatic feedback. If you want to know who gives automatic feedback, you can check how many sales the seller made in the last 30 days, then check how much feedback they left. If the numbers are almost the same, you can assume they give feedback to everyone (as I do). The investment is pretty low if you buy stuff you would have purchased already.

I would also fill out the "about" section of your profile. If this account is for a long-established business, discuss that history even if you are new to selling on eBay. For example, "Acme Widgets has been the leading seller of widgets in Waukesha, WI for over 45 years."  Upload the logo and a picture of the brick-and-mortar building if you have them. Anything to make the business look more established and official will build buyer confidence.

If you want to spend a little to get some positive feedback on actual sales, find a cheap, popular easy-to-sell item, buy a bunch and sell them at a discount with heavy promotion.  Be sure to provide excellent service on the sale and ask for feedback.

Good luck!