Are You Sending Your eBay Business to an Early Death?

An eBay business is perhaps the easiest and fastest way to make money on the internet. With practically no knowledge of anything you can start selling and making money. But eBay is far from 'idiot proof.' If you don't treat it like a business you will be out of business in a flash. Simple mistakes can be a death sentence for your business. Here are the most common mistakes to avoid at all costs!

*Never exaggerate or hide important information about your product. Always be totally honest. If your customers receive products that are not exactly as described your reputation will quickly be destroyed by feedback comments.

*Don't be slow on shipping. Always send your customers lots out as quickly as possible. The easiest way to make potential customers run away from your auctions is for them to read bad feedback about your shipping times. Never state in your listing that you ONLY ship at particular times such as once a week or twice a month. This exudes negativity and portrays arrogance to your bidders.

*Don't keep your customers in the dark. Always communicate with your bidders and customers. Keep them informed. Not hearing from you makes them wonder if you just took their money and disappeared.

*Don't charge outrageous shipping rates. This is perhaps the biggest single complaint you hear about from eBay bidders. In fact, eBay has stated limits in certain categories to stop gouging by sellers. Always charge reasonable shipping and handling rates and combine shipping to reduce total cost for multiple winners.

*Never publish gaudy or amateurish listings. Stay professional. Don't use animations or flashing lights. Stay away from ALL CAPITALS IN BRIGHT COLORS. Refrain from using music. These may seem like really neat features but ultimately distract from you selling message.

*Don't be negative in your descriptions. Never include language such as "if you don't pay in 7 days we will leave negative feedback and report you to eBay!" or "if your not serious about paying don't waste my time by bidding." The language of your listing is the only contact bidders have with you. If they think you will be a pain to deal with they will just go to some other listing.