How to Make Your Holiday Sales Soar
November 17th, 2006 | 
Author: Dear eBay Queen;
I have been selling for about a year. October wasn’t very good to me when it came to eBay sales. The holidays are coming up. Do you know when holiday sales start? Do you have any advice that could help make my November and December sales great?
Jennifer, Ottawa
Dear Jennifer;
October was a pretty slow month for me too. Holiday sales start in November and really go through out all of December. Here are a few suggestions on boosting your holiday sales:
- Offer Free or combined shipping. These shipping options will set your listings apart from your competition.
- Let your buyers know that the items they buy from you will arrive in time for the holidays. During the holidays, I ship everyday. Let your buyers know their items will be shipped fast. For more information on key shipping dates for the holiday season go to www.usps.com. Keep in mind the last day to ship Priority mail is December 22.
- Clearly state shipping costs in your eBay ad. This will set you apart, from other sellers, and the buyer will not need to ask questions about shipping.
- Accept Paypal for payments. Most eBay buyers prefer Paypal because it speeds up the transaction, which is especially important during the holidays when they need to receive items faster.
- Create holiday merchandising. Drive multiple purchases through merchandise cross-promotions, like promoting matching items, or offering batteries when people buy toys.
- Appeal to more buyers by giving your listings a seasonal theme. You can use the listing designer on eBay or your own HTML to spruce up your ads.
- Offer Gift services. During the holidays, offer gift-wrapping and express shipping options for buyers.
- Add a personal touch! Include a business card, thank you note or a coupon off future purchases in your shipment. You’ll get great positive feedback and turn a holiday shopper into a loyal customer.
- Show your personality on eBay with My World. There are a lot of sellers out there this time of year. Show your buyers who you are with a My World page. www.myworld.ebay.com
I hope that this holiday season brings lots of bidders to your auctions!
Dear eBay Queen;
I would appreciate any advice you could give me on shipping fragile items, particularly glassware. I usually sell books, but I have a set of eight drinking glasses ending in a few days. What is the best way to wrap these?
KSBOOKDEALER
Dear KSBOOKDEALER;
Packing multiple pieces of glassware can make even the best packer worry about their packing skills. There are several ways to make sure the drinking glasses arrive in one piece.
1. Select a sturdy box, which is big enough to hold all your glasses with at least 2” of space all around the sides and top.
2. Wrap each glass in bubble wrap. Make sure you have the bubbles facing the glass. If you doubt your packing, go around the glass twice with the bubble wrap.
3. You’ll need cushion or padding for your box. Either packing peanuts or newspaper will do. Place your padding material of choice on the bottom of your box. If you are using newspaper, make sure it is wadded up into a ball loosely. Put your glasses in the box, adding padding between the glasses, and on the sides. Try to keep 2” of padding between your glasses and the bottom, sides and top of box. Fill the sides and top.
4. Give your box a little shake, listening for any noises. If it’s nice and tight, seal up your box and add the label.
Since this is your first fragile box, I would make sure you insure the package.
Strange eBay item of the week: eBay item 22041593206 (enter this number in the eBay search box in the top right corner of the home page). If your looking for the perfect dining room table display, how about a Simpch Thanksgiving Pilgrims Figure Set. SOLD 2500.00
Suzie Eads is a nationally known eBay marketer and eBay trained Education Specialist. She lives in Rantoul. Do you have a question for the eBay Queen? E-mail: questions@asktheebayqueen.com .
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