Last year, I wrote a book about tools that could help eBay sellers better understand their sales so they could spend more time doing what works best and improve their profitability. I looked at several kinds of tools:
- market-data tools (such as HammerTap DeepAnalysis and Terapeak);
- sales performance reporting and analysis tools (such as eBay Sales Reports);
- traffic-tracking tools (such as eBay Traffic Reports and Sellathon ViewTracker);
- and competitive intelligence tools (such as eBay's Marketplace Research).
McGraw-Hill published "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" in January 2006. In the process of writing the book, I identified three areas where sellers could improve their businesses: basic listing strategies; advanced listing strategies; and marketing strategies.
Basic Listing Strategies
Find the best time to end an auction.
Determine optimal auction duration.
Choose the most profitable starting price.
Locate the best category.
Uncover the most effective keywords.
Advanced Listing Strategies
Research what to sell.
Choose auction-style listings versus Fixed Price format.
Analyze effectiveness of reserve price.
Evaluate optional features and upgrades.
Refine your offer and policies.
Marketing Strategies
Cross-promote your listings.
Increase repeat sales.
Improve your advertising and publicity.
Enhance your reputation and credibility.
Expand your presence.
In addition to describing tools and showing readers how to use them, the book also shows readers how to apply these tools to their businesses. Three of the chapters focus on the listing and marketing strategies I had identified, and how sellers could apply data to those strategies.
I'm happy to share with you an excerpt from Chapter 10, "Marketing Strategies: Market Like a PowerSeller," on the section that focuses on the marketing strategy, "Cross-promote your listings," which you can read online.
The excerpt is available at:
http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y206/m04/abu0165/s03
and the sidebar is available at:
http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y206/m04/abu0165/s04
Testimonials and a Table of Contents are available on the website:
http://www.TurnEbayDataIntoDollars.com
