In part one of "eBay Survival Advice for Parents of Newborns," I talked about ways parents of newborn babies can maximize the money they have by shopping smart on eBay. In part two, I talk about how to increase that amount without taking too much time away from your new baby.
Selling on eBay
1) Sell coupons. Yes, I know I talked about buying coupons, but selling them is a great profit center. If you're like me, you have chosen a brand of formula and you're not likely to switch. However, you still get formula checks and coupons from the other formula manufacturers on a regular basis. Selling them on eBay nets you 100% profit (less eBay fees). There are some restrictions to selling coupons on eBay: http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/manufacturers-coupons.html
2) Sell in Lots. Whether it is clothes or coupons, selling in lots will generally get you more money, particularly if they are low priced items because of listing and optional upgrade fees. I did a test with some Enfamil formula checks selling them as a lot and individually (this data is now some months old).
| Amount of
checks |
Average
Selling Price |
Profit
after fees |
| $18 (combined lot) |
$14.66 |
74% |
| $7 (individual) |
$5.53 |
67% |
| $5 (individual) |
$3.49 |
55% |
I made almost 20% more by selling three checks as a lot rather than individually.
When buying clothing in lots, buyers mentally spread out the shipping over all of the items. So, if you are selling three outfits with a shipping cost of $4.50, the buyer will consider that to be $1.50 per item, which is a bargain.
You can also use lots to shift items that wouldn't sell on their own, just make sure you have a really good brand name item in the same lot as the less desirable item.
3) Sell outfits. Pair up sets of clothing that looks good together. Last week I saw a seller with eight outfit sets for sale and bids up to $94 with one day still to go. The clothes weren't anything special, but they were marketed well. If she had sold each item individually I doubt she would have made $50.
4) Sell part-packs of diapers. We've all done it - bought that 200 value pack box of diapers because they were so much cheaper, only to have our little darling go up a size before we are half way through it. So, sell them as an opened pack. Make sure you specify how many are still in there, and put them in water-tight packaging. You won't make as much as you would for an unopened pack, but it's still not bad, and anything you make can go towards the box of next size up diapers!
5) Buy at thrift stores. You would be amazed at how cheaply you can find good quality baby clothes at thrift stores and yard sales. Know what price range specific items command on eBay before you go searching, and inspect each item thoroughly. Never buy anything damaged or stained.
This can be a good way to increase the size of a lot of items you want to sell. You may find some good designer clothes there too.
6) Sell in multiple categories. Children's clothing is a hard category to sell in because of the sheer volume of other items listed. So, you want to draw pre-qualified buyers to your auctions by means other than general eBay searches for that item.
I make sure that I have baby clothes listed at the same time as other hot baby items. Buyers who look at my formula and diaper coupon auctions are pre-qualified as parents with an under one year old. There is a good chance that many will have a child wearing the same size clothes as I have for sale. In the Auctiva Scrolling Gallery at the bottom of the auction, they will see the pictures of my baby clothes auctions. They may not have been planning to look for baby clothes, but if they see a really good picture, they are likely to click through to take a look. I always combine shipping so that saves them money as well.
7) Cross-Selling and Second Chance Offer. If you only have a few coupons, but a lot of clothes and other baby items, it may be worth just listing the coupons one at a time rather than as a lot. You will probably take a hit on your profit for the coupon auction, but if you utilize the scrolling gallery properly and have plenty of other items for the buyer to look at, you will probably get higher bids on those other items than you would have got without the extra exposure. If you get a particularly high couple of bids on your coupon auctions, you can use the second chance offer and sell the ones you have in stock without having to pay listing and upgrade fees.
8) Include a bonus item. I include a free store specific coupon (like 20% off at the Carter's store) or a product coupon ($1.50 off huggies diapers) with my baby item auctions. This lets me put the brand name and word coupon in my auction title, which means my item shows up in searches for either of those keywords as well as my actual item for sale. The more keywords you can get into your title, the more buyers will see your auction. You can often find free coupons for specific stores online or by getting on their mailing list.
9) Use scheduled listing. I find it almost impossible to predict when I am going to get a break to get to the computer. I use the scheduled listing feature (10 cents) so that my auctions are listed at the best possible time, not just when I have a spare second and remember to do it. My auctions receive significantly higher bids because they are listed at optimal times.
10) Add a picture. It doesn't matter what your item is, you need to have a good picture that makes your item "pop." You should always pay the gallery picture fee too. I get more hits on my coupon auctions because I have a gallery picture than other sellers who don't. It's definitely worth the extra 35 cents.
Items in the children's clothing and baby items categories often have horrible pictures. It makes searching through them very tedious for buyers. Make sure your picture has a contrasting background, the item is easy to see, and it looks good (smooth down the fabric, use macro to show detail, etc.) Remember, a buyer will scan the thumbnails pictures, so it needs to look good at that size as well as full-size.
11) Make a personal About Me page. If you are new to selling, or haven't been active on eBay for a while, having a personal About Me page can increase buyers' confidence in you as a seller. My About Me page has a picture of me and my daughter and a brief explanation of who I am, what types of items I sell and what condition they are in. This gives me a personal connection with my target audience (new parents) and a chance for them to add me to their favorite sellers.
12) Keep boxes for everything. Whether it's your baby carrier, bottle warmer, crib mobile, or any other item your child will grow out of using, keep the boxes and manuals (flat pack the boxes and put them in storage if you need the space). When you are done using the item, you can then sell it in the original box. Not only does this usually command a higher price, but you don't have to spend anything on shipping boxes.
13) Sell items for your friends. I got to know a lot of new Moms with babies around my daughter's age in the months after her birth. Some are not eBay-savvy, or simply didn't have the time because they work outside the home as well. So, I sell items for them. I have basic templates that I created for my usual item types (toys, clothes, coupons, etc.) so I just plug in the information for their item and add a photo. It takes me very little time, and I make a commission, get more exposure to my auctions (through the scrolling gallery), and help a friend out.
14) Hot List and Want It Now. Checking the Hot List will give you an idea of the best selling items (http://pages.ebay.com/sellercentral/whatshot.html). Don't forget to check Want It Now posts for baby items you have listed, or are planning to list: http://wantitnow.listings.ebay.com/_Baby_W0QQsacatZ2984.
Read part one of "eBay Survival Advice for Parents of Newborns":
http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y207/m07/abu0195/s03
